I. Selection principle of retort
1，It should mainly consider the accuracy of temperature control and heat distribution uniformity in the selection of sterilization equipment. For those products with extremely strict temperature requirements, especially for export products, due to its high demand for heat distribution uniformity, it is recommended to give priority to fully automatic retort. Fully automatic retort is known for its easy operation without human intervention, and its temperature and pressure control system can realize precise control, effectively avoiding the problems caused by human error.
2，In contrast, manual retorts face a number of challenges during the sterilization process, including complete dependence on manual operation for temperature and pressure control, which makes it difficult to accurately control the appearance of food products and leads to higher rates of can (bag) rise and breakage. Therefore, the manual retort is not an ideal choice for mass production companies.
3，If the products are packed with air or have strict requirements on appearance, the retort should be used with spraying type, which has high heat transfer efficiency and precise temperature and pressure control and is not easy to produce package deformation.
4，If the product is packaged in glass bottles or tinplate, in view of the need for strict control of the heating and cooling speed, the appropriate sterilization method must be selected. For glass bottles, it is recommended to use spray type retort for treatment; while tinplate is more suitable for steam type retort due to its excellent thermal conductivity and high rigidity.
5， Double-layer retort is recommended considering the demand of energy saving. Its design is unique, the upper layer is hot water tank, the lower layer is sterilization tank. In this way, the hot water in the upper layer can be recycled, thus effectively saving steam consumption. This equipment is particularly suitable for those food production enterprises that need to process a large number of batches of products.
6，If the product has a high viscosity and needs to be rotated during the retort process, a rotary sterilizer should be used to avoid agglomeration or delamination of the product.
Precautions in food high-temperature sterilization
The high-temperature sterilization process of food products is crucial for food processing plants and has the following two distinctive features:
1, One-time high-temperature sterilization: the sterilization process must be uninterrupted from start to finish, to ensure that the food is thoroughly sterilized at one time, and avoid repeated sterilization of food quality.
2, The sterilization effect of the non-intuitive: completed sterilization treatment of food can’t be observed through the naked eye obvious effect, and bacterial culture test takes a week, so the sterilization effect of each batch of food for the test is unrealistic.
In view of the above characteristics, food manufacturers must follow the following requirements:
1. First and foremost, it is essential to ensure consistency of hygiene throughout the food process. It is important to ensure that the bacterial content of each packaged food product is consistent before it is bagged to ensure the effectiveness of the established sterilization program.
2. Secondly, there is a need for sterilizing equipment with stable performance and precise temperature control. This equipment should be able to operate trouble-free and perform the established sterilization process with minimal error to ensure standard and uniform sterilization results.
