Commercial Sterilization

Commercial Sterilization refers to a thermal process designed to ensure safety of a shelfstable food product. In most applications, the process is applied to a food after the product is placed in a container. The goal of the process calculation is to provide the operator with appropriate information needed to accomplish the process.

Thermal Process Establishment

The time and temperature combination at which the product is heated to attain commercial sterility is the thermal process. Recommended thermal processes are not designed to render the food commercially sterile and not microbiologically sterile because not all organisms are destroyed.

Thermal Process Establishment

Establishment thermal processes depends on Establishment thermal processes depends on the following factors: the following factors: the thermal or heat resistance of the microorganism or enzymes in the product the heating characteristics of the product or the rate of heating in the product during thermal processing

What are the Information needed in What are the Information needed in Process Establishment:
how much heat and for how long is necessary to destroy microorganisms or enzymes in the food product, and

 how fast does the product heat (in the case of conventional canning) or how does the product flow (in the case of aseptic processing).

What are the Information needed in What are the Information needed in Process Establishment: Process Establishment:
The combination of these two factors is used to The combination of these two factors is used to establish the thermal process establish the thermal process pH and Water Activity pH and Water Activity (aW ) of Foods of Foods determine Processing Temperature determine Processing Temperature pH is the measure of acidity or basicity of a food material (pH range 2 to 7.0) or the negative log of the Hydrogen ion concentration Water activity (aW) is the amount of available water for the growth of microorganism. It is also the ratio of the vapor pressure of food over the vapor pressure of water aW of foods = lower than 1.0 pH and aW of Foods determine Processing of Foods determine Processing Temperature according to Food Regulations Temperature according to Food Regulations
Low-acid canned foods (LACF) are foods with pH > 4.6 and aw > 0.85 are required to receive severe thermal process at 115.6C (240F) or higher, to prevent the survival of Clostridium botulinum. Examples are tuna in oil, peas in brine, corned beef Acidified foods (AF) are foods with pH 4.6 and aw >0.85 are required to receive mild heat treatment like pasteurization at 100C (212F) or lower, to prevent the growth of non-heat resistant pathogens and vegetative organisms. Examples are fruits in syrup and vegetables packed in vinegar medium

Foods not covered by LACF and AF Foods not covered by LACF and AF

Regulations Regulations No thermal process needed No thermal process needed

Foods with natural pH of 4.6 and below or acid foods (examples: citrus fruit juices, including calamansi, mango in syrup) All non-meat containing foods with or adjusted to water activity (aw) 0.85 or less (example: sauteed shrimp paste or bagoong alamang)

Water Activity ( Water Activity (aW) Controlled Foods with ) Controlled Foods with aW 0.85 to 0.93
Requires pasteurization (100C) and maintained aW to control commercial sterility Data must be obtained and records show that the resulting products will have controlled aW of 0.93 and below The products are tested to attain commercial sterility Examples are purple yam jam, coconut sport in syrup

Minimum Water Activity of Microbial Groups Group Minimum aw 0.60 Osmophilic yeasts 0.65 Xerophilic molds 0.75 Halophilic bacteria 0.80 Molds 0.87-0.88 Yeast 0.90-0.91 Bacteria

Factors affecting the thermal resistance of Factors affecting the thermal resistance of microorganisms (vegetative cells or spores) the growth characteristics of the microorganisms the nature of the food in which the

microorganisms are heated the kind of food in which the heated microorganisms are allowed to grow

Thermal Resistance or TDT Data for Thermal Resistance or TDT Data for microorganism or enzyme Actual thermal resistance or TDT data by conducting Thermal Death Time (TDT) test Obtain from literatures or published investigations/researches
Reference Organism in TDT Study
The reference microorganism on which to base a process schedule should be the most heat resistant pathogen or the most heat resistant spoilage organism that can grow on a canned product The reference organism is used in the TDT study of on canned food products The bacteria are the most thermally resistant.

Thermal Resistance or TDT Values Thermal Resistance or TDT Values

D value = time in minutes required to destroy 90% of a population of cells at a given reference temperature Dr = D value at RT of 250F and z 18F z value = temperature increase required to reduce the thermal death time by a factor of 10; it is also the slope of the TDT curve F value = D value multiplied by the order of the process

Relationship of D and F Relationship of D and F

The F value is conveniently expressed as some

multiple of D based number of microorganism before and after heating, determined by the following equation: F = D log (a/b) = m D
Where: D = calculated D value a/b = number of organism before/after heating m = refer the change in the microbial population expressed as number of log cycles

Recommended order of the process factors for calculating F values

Reference Organism m Cl. Botulinum 12 Cl. Sporogenes 5 B. stearothermophylus 5 B. subtilis 6 B. coagulans 5 Cl. Pasteurianum 5 m Reference Organism m is also referred to as order of the process factor m value of 5 gives an F value to effect 99.999% destruction or reduction of the population from 105 to 100

Specification of Process Specification of Process Lethality Lethality

1. 12-D concept for C. botulinum (D=0.21) 2. Economic spoilage probability of 10 5 for Mesophiles such as C. sporogenes (D=1.0) 3. Thermofilic spoilage probability of 10-2 from B. stearothermophilus (D=4.0) F = 1.0 x 5 = 5.0 F = 0.21 x 12 = 2.5 F = 4.0 x 2 = 8

Reference F Value for Process Calculation Reference F Value for Process Calculation
F = m D ( order of the process x D) Example: For Cl. botulinum m = 12 or 1012 reduction of spores Thus, at D = 0.1 to 0.2 F = 12 ( 0.2 D max) F = 2.4 minutes (also referred as Fo at RT of 250F and z

value of 18F Instead of using an F of 2.4 minutes, an Fo value of 3.0 minutes is used to incorporate a margin of safety The computed F value is used as reference F value in process calculation

Public Public Health Health Significance Significance 12 12-D Concept ( D Concept (C botulinum botulinum)
100 million persons consume canned foods each day worldwide. 100 million x 365 days/yr = 3.65 x 1010/yr 3.65 x 1010/yr x 100 years = 3.65 x 1012 (12D) 3-4 outbreaks in 100 years, or one outbreak every 25 years worldwide

Heat Penetration Test Heating Characteristics of the food product is determined by: Heat Penetration Test at the Slowest Heating Point or Cold Point in the Container
Thermal Process Establishment
Methods of process calculations: 1. Graphical or general method 2. Formula" method