Overheating or underheating?
In your manufacturing process, heating steps should eliminate any relevant foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes. Are the heating processes you use during food production effective enough to produce a safe and compliant product? Or are you heating ready-to-eat foods too much, unnecessarily increasing your production and energy costs? Validating your heating processes provides insight into these questions.
Our experts work across all segments of food production and frequently observe that food manufacturers expose their products to heating processes that are too intense or prolonged. Unfortunately, we also see the opposite. Either way, we can help you validate and optimise your heating process. In the current climate of CO2 reduction, energy transition and rising energy prices, validating your heating processes can bring you significant benefits.
Case study
Our team performed the validation of the post-pasteurisation process for a manufacturer of vegetarian sausages. The cooked and vacuum-packed sausages were post-pasteurised for 45 minutes to eliminate possible post-contamination with pathogens.
Our model, combined with a confirmatory challenge test, with the time and temperature required to eliminate various pathogens (see Figure 1), determined that the manufacturer could reduce the pasteurisation time to 30 minutes. This saves the company 2,000 hours of pasteurisation time per year. A significant reduction in hours, energy, and CO2 emissions!
Do not let your costs rise unnecessarily: validate your heating processes
Are you uncertain whether your heating processes are optimal for food safety? Or do you suspect that you are unnecessarily wasting time and energy during your heating processes? Contact us now to help you examine your processes, at +31(0)888 31 03 30 or CCMRA@ftbnl.eurofins.com.