High-temperature-short-time processing

If food can be heated quickly to a temperature of I3I°C a lethaUty equivalent to 6 min at I2I°C can be accumulated in 36 s. This rapid heating and cooling of hquid foods, such as milk, can be performed in a heat exchanger and is known as high temperature—short time (HTST) processing. HTST processing can yield heat-preserved foods of superior quahty because heat-induced flavor, color, and nutrient losses are minimized. 

Pasteurization may be carried out by batch- or continuous-flow processes. In the batch process, each particle of milk must be heated to at least 63°C and held continuously at this temperature for at least 30 min. In the continuous process, milk is heated to at least 72°C for at least 15 s ia what is known as high temperature—short time (HTST) pasteurization, the primary method used for fluid milk. For milk products having a fat content above that of milk or that contain added sweeteners, 66°C is requited for the batch process and 75°C for the HTST process. For either method, foUowiag pasteurization the product should be cooled quickly to <7.2° C. Time—temperature relationships have been estabHshed for other products including ice cream mix, which is heated to 78°C for 15 s, and eggnog, which must be pasteurized at 69°C for 30 min or 80°C for 25 s. 

High Temperature—Short Time Pasteurizers. The principal continuous-flow process is the high temperature—short time (HTST) method. The product is heated to at least 72°C and held at that temperature for not less than 15 s. Other features are similar to the batch hoi ding method. 

Sodium carboxymethylcellulose (commonly known as CMC) was introduced in 1945 by Josephson and Dahle 10) for use in ice cream. It is cold water-soluble, will not react with acid, and has excellent water-binding properties. When properly processed, it is easily dispersible and quickly soluble in the mix. These properties make it well suited for high temperature-short time (HTST) mix. When used alone, it has a tendency to cause separation or wheying off in the mix. Irish moss extract is used with CMC to eliminate this condition. From 0.15 to 0.25% CMC is most often used in ice cream mix. 

The waste milk in dairy wastewaters mostly comes from start-up and shut-down operations performed in the high-temperature, short-time pasteurization process. This waste is pure milk raw material mixed with water. Another wastewater of the dairy sector originates from equipment and tank-cleaning wastewaters. These waste streams contain waste milk and sanitary cleaners that are the principal waste constituents of dairy wastewater. Over time, milk waste degrades to form corrosive lactic and formic acids. Approximately 90% of a dairy s wastewater load is milk. 

Figure 3-7 Plot of nominal space times (or reactor residence times) required for several important industrial reactors versus the nominal reactor temperatiwes. Times go from days (for fermentation) down to milliseconds (for ammonia oxidation to form nihic acid). The low-temperature, long-time processes involve liquids, while the high-temperature, short-time processes involve gases, usually at high pressures.

Edmondson et al (1971), who studied the enrichment of whole milk with iron, found that ferrous compounds normally caused a definite oxidized flavor when added before pasteurization. Aeration before addition of the iron reduced the off-flavor. The authors recommended the addition of ferric ammonium citrate followed by pasteurization at 81 °C. Kurtz et al. (1973) reported that iron salts can be added in amounts equivalent to 20 mg iron per liter of skim milk with no adverse flavor effects when iron-fortified dry milk is reconstituted to skim milk or used in the preparation of 2% milk. Hegenauer et al. (1979A) reported that emulsification of milk fat prior to fortification greatly reduced lipid peroxidation by all metal complexes. These researchers (Hegenauer et al. 1979B) concluded that chelated iron and copper should be added after homogenization but before pasteurization by a high-temperature-short-time process. 

Neotame is an amino acid derivative and is, therefore, hydrolysed under conditions of low or high pH. Its stability will be a function of pH, temperature and time. The optimum pH range is similar to that for aspartame pH 3.2 1.5. In dry form neotame is stable. Products containing neotame and processed by high-temperature short-time (HTST) do not show significant losses to degradation of neotame (The NutraSweet Company, 2003). 

Citrus juices that are pasteurized at the lower temperatures, 65-66°C, can undergo clarification, i.e., a process of separation that results in a lower layer of liquid and sediment and an upper layer of clear liquid. This process is brought about by the natural enzyme, pectinesterase, that occurs in citrus fruits. Studies have shown that processing of the juice at temperatures of 170-210°F (76.7-99°C) for a fraction of a second to 40 seconds will destroy the pectinesterase activity in citrus juices (7-10). The temperature necessary to stabilize the juice is pH dependent. Juices at higher pH require higher temperatures for stabilization. With the new high-temperature short-time techniques and equipment, stabilization can usually be effected in a fraction of a second. Flash pasteurization can be accomplished in either a plate-type or a tube-type heat exchanger. 

Starches have been used by the cereal and snack industries to achieve specific textures, e.g. increased crispness, especially in high-temperature, short-time processes.135,179 Snack market trends emphasize lower fat, including fried textures from baked products, high fiber and simpler processes. Starch can contribute significantly to the achievement of each of these targets. 

H. D. Stahl and T. H. Parliment, Formation of Maillard products in the proline-glucose model system high-temperature short-time kinetics, in Thermally Generated Flavors Maillard, Microwave, and Extrusion Processes, T. H. Parliment, M. J. Morello, and R. J. McGorrin (eds), American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1994, 251-262. 

Further processing after high-temperature short-time treatment and then being left to stand... 

Pasteurization requires considerably less thermal input than does sterilization. Therefore, the thermal losses during pasteurization processing are quite low. However, oxidative losses can be high if care is not taken to deaerate and if high-temperature-short-time (HTST) conditions are not used (80). 

Some thermal destruction of the vitamin is inevitable in blanching, drying, canning, and cooking operations. However, some types of thermal processing, such as high temperature, short-time cooking, will usually result in optimal amounts of vitamin C in the food as consumed . 

It has been known for decades that heat is one of the most destructive factors of anthocyanins in berry fruit juices (Jackman et al., 1987a). With strawberry preserves, it was shown as early as 1953 that the half-life time was 1 h at 100°C, 240 h at 38°C and 1300 h at 20°C. In a storage experiment with concentrates and dry powder of elderberry extracts, the stability increased 6-9 times when the temperature was reduced from 20°C to 4°C (Zajac et al., 1992). Anthocyanin degradation in anthocyanin solutions increased from 30% to 60% after 60 days when storage temperatures were increased from 10°C to 23°C (Cabrita et al., 2000). High-temperature short-time processing is recommended for maximum anthocyanin retention of foods containing anthocyanins (Jackman and Smith, 1996). 

HTST. Abbreviation for high-temperature short-time, refers to processes such as pasteurization, sterilization, etc. 

Polyphosphates improve the sensory quality of many food products. They prevent the separation of butter fat and aqueous phases in evaporated milk, and the formation of gel in concentrated milk sterilized by high-temperature short-time (HTST). They also stabilize the fat emulsion in processed cheese by disrupting the casein micelles and thus enhance the hydrophobic interactions between lipids and casein. Polyphosphates are also used in meat processing for increasing the WHC and improving the texture of many cooked products. The mechanisms involved in different applications depend on the properties of the phosphates and the commodities, as well as the parameters of processing. 

There are some obvious opportunities where tailor-made natural aromas or precursors can find immediate application. These include direct application in formulated foods and beverages, as well as processes where precursors release the desired aromas (e.g., high temperature/short time operations). There are many other opportunities, especially with regard to natural aromas as replacement for synthetic ones. But the biggest opportunity is to give consumers what they want — a high quality natural aroma, readily available, at reasonable cost. 

These principles formed the basis for producing high quality carrots and potatoes by a process of biopolymer infusion followed by high temperature short time fluidized bed dehydration. Infused biopolymers was shown to penetrate intracellular spaces and cell walls and may contribute to reduced cell collapse in the dehydration process. Deposition of infused biopolymer within the cells was elucidated using a convalently bound complex of biopolymer and colored dye which was visible upon histochemical examinations under a microscope. The dehydration process was optimized with response surface methodology. The resulting products have excellent quality, high rehydration ratio and a puffed structure. 

The advantages of the high-temperature short-time aseptic canning process on quality retention in heat-processed products have been discussed by Luh and York (2). The importance of ripening process on quality of kiwifruit has been reported by... 

Buckle, K.A. and Edwards, R.A. 1970. Chlorophyll, color, and pH changes in H.T.S.T. (high temperature-short time) processed green pea puree. J. Food Technol 5, 173-186. 

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