Pasteurisation: an overview
by Gerhard Venter

Part 1.
Concept and methodology

Pasteurisation is attributed to a French scientis­t, Louis Pasteur. He applied heat treatment, followe­d by cooling, to milk in an attempt to extend the storage life of milk and prevent milk from transmitting potential disease to users. Raw milk was known to carry micro­organisms that naturally sour the milk over time. This development spilled over to the preservation of many other foodstuffs and is not restricted to the application of heat.

A method called batch pasteurisation was initially employed. Milk in a container, which could be heated, was warmed to a specific heat below boiling point while being slowly agitated to expose all particles to the heated surface of the container. This heat was maintained for a specific period. Thereafter, the milk was cooled as rapidly as possible and stored refrigerated. This method is still applied for small batches, but obviously limits production time severely. To make the method efficient, a temperature of at least 62°C had to be reached and maintained for 30 minutes. This is also referred to as LTLT (long-time low temperature) pasteurisation.

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Keep it shiny ... inside and out!
by Liza Burger

The cooling tank is a vital link in the beverage quality chain. Besides efficient and reliable cooling capacity, the cooling tank and silos must be cleaned regularly without exception. One thing modern cooling products and systems have in common is that every system must be effectively adapted and managed to eliminate contamination of the milk or beverage in question.

Cleaning-in-place (CIP) and sterilisation-in-place (SIP) are systems designed to automatically clean and disinfect without major disassembly and assembly having to take place. A well-designed CIP system that employs double-seat valve (block and bleed) technology and a bit of process integration, will enable you to clean one part of the plant, while other areas continu­e to produce the product.

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Anti-dumping PET ruling
An European Union proposal to impose import duties on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) shipments from Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to result in cost increases for European converters, said a spokesperson from the EU.

The European Union intends to slap the anti-dumping and countervailing charges after a probe found companies from the Middle Eastern countries had been selling PET into Europe at below market prices. The illegal practices had hit market share and profits of European PET producers.

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