Sterilization, UHT

Dr. Jui Lodh

PJMCDT
 STERILIZATION
According to FSSR (2011), ‘sterilization’ when used in association with milk, means heating milk in sealed
container continuously to a temperature of either 115°C for 15 min or at least 130°C for a period of one second
or more in a continuous flow and then packed under aseptic condition in hermetically sealed containers to
ensure preservation at room temperature for a period not less than 15 days from the date of manufacture.

Ultra–high temperature processing has been designed to give a commercially sterile product which is free from
pathogens and provides little chance of spoilage during transportation and storage under recommended
conditions.
Commercially sterilized milk is rarely sterile in the strict bacteriological sense.
The spore-forming bacteria in raw milk, which are highly heat resistant, survive the sterilization
temperature-time employed in the dairy and ultimately lead to the deterioration of sterilized milk.

Requirements
Sterilized milk must:
i) Kept without deterioration, i.e., remain stable and have good commercial value for a sufficient period to satisfy
commercial requirements;
ii) UHT processing is applicable to those milk and milk products which can also be processed using HTST process
iii) The product is free of microorganisms harmful to consumer health, i.e., pathogenic, toxicogenic germs and
toxins;
iv) Also free of any microorganisms liable to proliferate, i.e. it should not show signs of bacterial growth.
 Methods of sterilization: Two methods
Conventional method: Packaging is done UHT or aseptic method: Packaging is done after heat treatment. The ultra
before heat treatment. The processing is high temperature short time (UHTST) and very high temperature short time
usually carried out at 105-110°C for 30-45 (VHTST) processes come under this category. The processing is at 135-
min. It is also known as In-bottle sterilization. 150°C for 1-20 seconds. Then the commodity is packed aseptically.
 Method of Sterilization: Conventional method (In-bottle Sterilization)

Advantages i) Remarkable high keeping quality; does not need refrigerated

storage ii) no cream layer/plug iii) forms a soft digestible curd, and hence
useful for feeding of infants and invalids iv) distinctive rich flavor v)
economical to use vi) less liable to develop oxidized taints

Disadvantages i) increased cost of production ii) more loss in nutritive value

than pasteurization (50 per cent of the vitamin C and 33 percent of vitamin
B originally present, are destroyed, and there is a slight reduction in the
biological value of the milk proteins)

Due to longer heating period, colour and flavour are changed

 Conventional method (In-bottle Sterilization)

Milk is first subjected to platform tests, clarified and then standardized. It is then
pre-heated and homogenized at 145 kg/cm 2 pressure. Milk is then filled in glass
bottles which are sealed with crown caps and sterilized.

1. Bottle and bottling

Bottles should be examined for their colour, capacity and strength, before use.
Milk is bottled with hand fillers and capable of filling 4 to 12 bottles at a time. The
caps are then applied with a hand capper. For large scale, automatic, continuous,
mechanical bottle fillers and cappers are used. These may be gravity fillers or
vacuum fillers. In the former, the milk flows by gravity into the bottles as they are
pressed against the filling valves; in the latter, the bottles are filled by creating a
vacuum within them. The milk from the storage tank usually goes directly into the
bowl of the bottle-filling machine, the connecting pipe being equipped with a valve
to regulate the flow.
Bottle washing operations are so timed in relation to the processing of milk that
washed and sanitized bottles arrive at the filler as needed for immediate bottling
either by level filling or quantity filling. Level filling is quicker and more common
and a constant low temperature of milk at the time of filling, should be maintained.
Quantity filling, although more accurate since it is not affected by either
temperature or foam. Schematic Diagram of a rotary
batch sterilizer
 Conventional method (In-bottle Sterilization)
Bottle Filling
Gravity fillers Vacuum fillers

Advantages: Relatively simple to operate; (ii) Advantages: (i) Rapid filling; (ii) will not fill a bottle with a
maintenance not too complicated; (iii) easily and chipped mouth or bad seal, thus saving milk; (iii) no milk drip
swiftly cleaned. through faulty valves.

Disadvantages: Slow filling and hence limited Disadvantages: (i) Maintenance complicated; (ii) relatively
capacity; (ii) leakage losses high (due to badly complicated to operate; (iii) cleaning more time-consuming.
sealed bottle, bottle with chipped mouth, faulty
valve, etc.)

Caps and Capping: The capping machine is often incorporated into the filler, and always synchronize with it. The cap or
closure has three main functions: (i) to retain the milk within the bottle; (ii) to protect the pouring lip from contamination;
and (iii) to seal the bottle against tampering. The caps may made of Cardboard discs, impregnated with a moisture proof
layer (paraffin wax or polythene); (ii) aluminium foil caps; (iii) crown corks. Initially the cardboard discs with separate hoods
wereused, but now not in use. The aluminium foil cap is most commonly used. It is either pre-formed or formed-in-place.
The foil may be 0.05 to 0.15 mm thick and of 50 mm wide. Crown corks generally used for sterilized milk packed in
lacquered tin plate, the inner surface of which is lined with water-proof paper/polythene but expensive
 Conventional method (In-bottle Sterilization)

Inspection of Filled Bottles Before being (manually) placed in crates, filled milk bottles should be inspected for
dirt, etc. by rotating them as they are removed from the machine.

De-crating and Re-crating of Bottles: Removing dirty bottles from crates (decrating) and refilling them with bottles
of pasteurized milk (re-crating) are among the most back-breaking and labor-consuming operations. Both decrating
and recrating machines look the same. The decrator lifts the empty bottles by vacuum-operated rubber-grippers and
rejects any that are damaged. The recrator also lifts the filled bottles by compressed-air operated rubber-grippers. In
decrating, the crates of empty bottles are at first correctly positioned before lifting, while in recrating, a special
marshalling mechanism allows bottles from the filler to assemble in correctly positioned groups, ready to be picked
up for transfer to the crates. The crates containing the bottles are placed in steam chest and heated at 115°C for 15
min. The method is suitable only for small operations.

Semi-continuous In-bottle Sterilization

This method is similar to the conventional method except that an arrangement for rotating the crates is provided.
The rotation helps in more uniform and efficient heat transfer, thereby minimizing colour and flavor changes. After
the heating process is over, the crates containing the bottles are released into a tunnel of cooling air.
 Continuous in-bottle sterilization:
In this case sealed milk bottles pass continuously on chain conveyors to the pre-heating water and then to the steam chest for
the required operation and subsequently move to the cooling water and finally to the atmospheric exit. This is commonly used
for the large scale as it efficiently use energy and also provide better colour and flavour to the finished product.
Cooling: After heat-treatment in the sterilizers, the milk bottles may be
cooled in air or water. The too rapid cooling may crack the bottle while
too slow causes browning. In the continuous system, after leaving the
sterilizing zone, the bottles enter a column of hot water where the
cooling process begins followed by 2nd cooling by passing through
another tank of water at a lower temperature than the previous and
lastly through a shallow tank of cold water for final cooling. The bottles
are then automatically discharged and conveyed to a point where they
are placed in crates and transferred to the storage room.
In-can continuous sterilization: Commonly used throughout the world.
It comprises of a pre-heater, a sterilizer and a cooler with a leaking-can
detector at the pre-heater and cooler discharge. The sealed milk cans
are passed into a pre-heater where the cans are carried through a
spiral path inside a drum filled with hot water followed by passing
through a can detector to observe leakage and thereafter are subjected
to steam under the pressure for sterilization. Finally the milk cans move
through the pressure air cooler and discharged. Recently a continuous
milk sterilizing line with HTST operation has been developed. It
processes milk for 2 min at 127°C with improved color and flavor.
Continuous hydrostatic sterilizer
 Ultra high temperature (UHT)
A modern technique for preserving liquid food products by exposing Tests • Turbidity test – To
them to brief but intense heat treatment ascertain sterilization efficiency
Long life or UHT milk originated at Switzerland in 1961
In these processes, the milk is heated to 135-150°C for a few seconds, generally in a plate or tubular heat-exchanger.
The milk, which is almost sterile, is filled into containers and sealed aseptically in a specially designed aseptic packaging
system. The packed milk can be stored at room temperature upto a period of six months.
Storage life and consumer acceptability are greater than the conventional canned sterilized milk, in which the product
suffers greater alterations in flavor, color and nutritional quality

Advantages of UHT Milk Disadvantages

 Advantageous when the distance between producer  Flavor of UHT milk is dissimilar to pasteurized milk
and consumer is wide.  Chances of formation of deposits within the system
 Can be kept for several months without refrigeration particularly in the direct steam system which causes
 advantageous in warm summers. extra operating cost
 Temporary surpluses due to seasonal variations can  Age gelation during storage.
be covered by subjecting milk to UHT treatment  Higher cost of aseptic packaging
 Manpower costs are saved  Sometimes fat separation and sedimentation of
 Milk can be stored at home all the time insoluble particles may occur during storage.
 Can be readily available at distant locations and at all  Nutritive value is much diminished as compared to
odd hours. pasteurized milk
 It is expensive
Types UHT Processing Plant
 Direct heating

Injection system Infusion system

 Steam is injected directly into the product to  Product is introduced or infused into to the
achieve high temperature. Heat transfer is mainly steam
due to condensation of steam.

Processing Method Processing Method

Product Infusion of product into the steam chamber
• Pumped to Balanced Tank • Pre-heating by passing through two
• Heated by Conventional tubular heater tubular heat exchangers
/PHE at 75-80˚C • Sterilization and holding
• Holding cell (steam is injected to raise the • Vacuum chamber to remove excess water
temperature rapidly to 140-150˚C/2-4 sec) • Aseptic homogenization
• Cooling of product in vacuum chamber through • Final cooling
evaporative cooling • Packaging
• Aseptic homogenization
• Final cooling
• Aseptic packaging
 Direct heating with steam injection
Milk into steam (Infusion):
The milk flows through a pre-heater and a final heater, where it is heated to The milk is homogenized and falls as a
approximately 75 – 85°C. Pressure necessary for UHT heating is 4.76 bar, laminar free falling film into a steam
applied by a pressure pump. The milk is intimately mixed with steam in the pressure vessel, in which milk is heated
mixing chamber and the steam immediately condenses in the milk giving up to the UHT temperature, passes through
its heat of vaporization for heating the milk. The amount of steam used must a holding section and is cooled by
be such that immediately after mixing, both the milk and the condensate expansion. In another method, the milk
formed are heated to the sterilizing temperature. The mixture then flows is atomized to fine droplets, injected into
through a holding tube (2-4s) which enters tangentially into the vacuum a steam pressure vessel via pressure jets.
chamber. Close to the entry point, is an adjustable pressure retaining valve Milk droplets are more easily heated
which maintains the saturated steam pressure corresponding to the sterilizing than a film. But the disadvantage is that
temperature. The hot mixture under pressure then expands and causes the milk can also be sprayed onto the hot
spontaneous cooling by evaporation. The vacuum is so maintained that exactly wall of the vessel which may allow the
the same amount of water evaporates as is incorporated in the form of live milk to leave the heater after holding
steam. The steam released in vacuum chamber is used to preheat the time of very unequal durations
incoming milk when the milk passes through an aseptic path pump,
homogenizer and perhaps storage tank to aseptic packaging. The advantage of
expansion cooling is that it removes undesirable odorous substances from
milk. To maintain constant water content in UHT milk, it is required to
maintain accurate temperature control of the milk entering the mixing
chamber, in the holding tube and in the expansion chamber. The parameters
that are controlled include the milk feed, the steam supply and the vacuum in
the expansion chamber.
 Advantages

1. Rapid heating and cooling…..a low temperature load on the product

2. Lesser deposit formation in the equipment requiring less frequent cleaning and pre sterilization
cycles and longer production runs
3. Low oxygen content of final product
4. Product retains excellent flavor
5. Comparatively intensive to pressure drops and therefore, viscous products can be processed easily

Disadvantages

Difficulty to control the holding time exactly.

1.droplets of milk are heated to sterilization temperature while falling through a steam chamber,
2. the speed of milk droplets is bound to show variation,
3. the infusion chamber must always contain a bottom layer of product introducing variation in holding
time.
Comparison of direct and indirect processes
 Indirect Heating
Plate heat exchanger

The milk is pumped into the first heat exchanger where the temperature of milk is raised to about 75 or 85°C and it may
or may not be admitted to a holding cell. In the holding cell, the product is kept for 30 seconds to 5 minutes at 80°C
depending on the design. From the holding cell, the product is sent to a homogenizer, acts as a positive pump and
forces the product through the heating section.
The product enters a second holding cell where temperature is regulated by a thermo-sensor by controling the steam
supply to the final heating section. The sterilizer is equipped with a flow diversion value. If the temperature drops below
a preset value, the flow is diverted through a separate cooling section and back to the inlet balance tank.
Under normal production conditions, the product is cooled in a final cooler before leaving the plant. The cooling
sections are regenerative type. Since whey proteins get denatured at high temperatures, deposits will always form in
sterilizing equipments. In order to reduce the amount of deposits, a holding cell is introduced. In this way, the whey
protein is carried through the equipment and scaling is diminished. The higher the air content in the product, more is
the chance for deposits to form. The air content can be reduced by a deaeration process and by the holding cell.

Advantages of plate heat exchanger Disadvantages

 High induced turbulence to the heating medium and heated The gaskets set upper limits to the internal
product High heat transfer rate pressures that can be used with the heat
 Low temperature difference between heating and heated fluids exchanger
(low deposit formation)
 Low pressure drops in the product circuit
 Plates can be assembled to give a wide variety of heating and
cooling sections.
 Tubular heat exchanger (Stork) 3rd generation

The product is admitted via a balance tank and reaches the first homogenization head through the
regenerative pre-heater and then the final heater. Final heater is designed to have lower energy
consumption and ensures low temperature gradient between product and heating medium. For this, a
triple tube heater in which steam passes through the centre and outer tubes surrounding the product,
which flows through the middle tube. The advantage it offers is rapid heating of the product. Sterilization
temperature (138°C) is reached here. After passing the first regenerative cooling section, the product is
cooled down to about 75°C and reaches the second homogenization head. After passing the second
regenerative cooling, the product is admitted to the final cooler where the temperature is brought down by
means of water cooling to filling temperature. This arrangement gives almost twice the heat transfer of a
single tube in a heating chamber. Inherent strength of tubes, much higher internal pressures can be
withstood during the operation.

Stainless steel tubes do not cause induced turbulence in the product and natural turbulence resulting from
high flow velocities is needed to give high heat transfer rates. Pressure drops through the heat exchanger
and temperature differentials between heating and heated fluids are therefore higher than with plates.
Scraped surface heat exchangers

Scraped surface heat exchangers are suitable for viscous products where satisfactory heat transfer rates
cannot be obtained by relying on an induced turbulence from conjugal plates or natural turbulence from high
product velocities. The product flows axially inside a stainless steel cylinder, heated from the outside. A
rotating shaft on the axis of the cylinder breaks down any stationary layer of viscous product and induces
turbulence in the body of the fluid. Scraped surface heat exchangers operate with high differential
temperatures between product and heating medium.

Electric Method

The electricity heats the incandescence spiral resistance elements which are wound round quartz tubes
through which the milk passes. The milk heated from 95 - 140°C using a combination of infra-red radiation
and heat conduction through the quartz tubes. From the stand point of performance, this sterilizer is
therefore simple to a conventional indirectly heated sterilizer.
 Upstream and Downstream Homogenization

Many UHT plants operate with the homogenizer in the upstream position. In this case, homogenizers are not in
the sterile part. The milk flow rate is controlled by the upstream homogenizer in indirect systems.
When a de-aerator is provided, equal rates of milk supply and removal from the vessel are maintained by various
means depending on the supplier of the system. The drawback of this process is that the higher temperatures
used in the processing zone or the high shear rates found in the plate heat exchangers might destabilize the
emulsion and affect its stability during storage. It is, however, the best position where stability and
sedimentation are not major problems.

In case of downstream homogenization, it is necessary to provide a sterile block, wherein the pistons move
through an atmosphere of steam as this position increases the risk of post-contamination. In all sterilizers of the
direct type, homogenization of the product should be done on the down–stream and/or sterile side. Also
minimize certain texture defects. The fat tends to agglomerate upon direct heating of previously homogenized
milk. The homogenization after UHT heating is advantageous as it prevents or reverses protein–protein and fat
globule–protein aggregation and retards the formation of sediment comprising of precipitated whey proteins.
The homogenizer is made aseptic by providing steam seals.
 Aseptic Packaging

Aseptic packaging involves

sterilization of packaging material
creation of a sterile environment while forming the container
and/or filling the product
sealing of containers thus preventing re-infection.
Packaging material
The packaging material is built up in the following way:
Starting from the outside, the material is covered with an external coating which might be either plastic or
wax below of which is a layer of printing ink on the paper. The latter may be a twin layer (duplex) or single
layer paper. Next we have the laminating layer of plastic material by which the aluminum foil is attached to the
paper base to provide protection against light, protection against entry of air and to achieve satisfactory
transversal seams. On the inside either one or two polyethylene coats are applied (extruded) on top of the
aluminum foil depending on the kind of product to be packaged and the extrusion equipments available.
 Tetra Brick Aseptic Packaging

The material fed into the machine from a reel of packaging material.
Depending on carton size, each reel will give between 2300 (1 L size)
and 5,000 (1/2 L size) units. The web travels up the machine. A strip is
applied to one edge of the paper to reinforce the longitudinal seam,
and to prevent the product from coming in contact with the paper edge.
After application of this strip, the material passes through a hydrogen
peroxide 15 to 20% in the tetrahedron system and about 35% in the
aseptic brick system bath. A pair of pressure rollers removes surplus
hydrogen peroxide.

While travelling down, the material is formed into a longitudinally

sealed tube. Remaining hydrogen peroxide is evaporated by heat, and
the product is admitted. The level of the product remains above the
zone where the transversal sealing is done. The product outlet is
below the product level in the tube and the tube is sealed
transversally. Finally the cartons are given their final shape.

To prevent re-infection, the tube heat element produces a hot air current which protects the paper from the
surrounding air. Simultaneously, hydrogen peroxide vapour escaping from the tube heater zone is channeled to a
ventilation system. The tube heater is an electrically powered radiation element working at different temperatures (400-
600°C) depending on the diameter of the tube. The sterilization efficiency of the system is the combined effect of the
hydrogen peroxide bath and the time of exposure of the web.
 Defects in UHT Milk

Colour- UHT milk does not undergo browning due to too short time of heat exposure whereas, such milk often
appears whiter than the original milk owing to the presence of soluble proteins and partly disintegrated casein
micelles. Though, in UHT milk, significant browning occurs during storage, particularly at higher temperatures.

Flavour- UHT milk after treatment has a hydrogen sulphide odour (cabbage) and a cooked flavour which
disappears within 24 hrs. Sulphahydryl groups disappear within a few days as a result of oxidation processes.
Potassium iodate (10-20 ppm) has been used to reduce the amount of cooked flavour in milk involves in oxidation
of any exposed -SH groups. Oxidized or stale flavours appear after the cooked flavour has disappeared owing to
the presence of methyl ketones and aldehydes.

Texture and structure

 Fat separation- It is mainly due to inefficient homogenization.
 Sediment- Formation of sediment is higher in direct heating process. This is due to fat-protein complex
formation which increases with increasing homogenization pressure, viscosity and fat, solids and calcium
contents as well as decreasing heat stability. Agglomeration of fat/protein in UHT milk can be prevented if the
homogenizer is arranged downstream
 Age thickening and gelation- UHT milk shows a greater tendency to thicken and coagulate during storage than
conventionally sterilized milk and these tendencies are related to the severity of the heat treatment. The gel
structure is believed to be caused by casein micelles which will also trap fat globules and whey proteins in a
three dimensional net work. Casein proteolysis occurs due to enzymatic and Maillard reaction.
 Nutritive Value of UHT Milk

Numerous changes in the chemical composition physical and organoleptic characteristics of milk even the
heating conditions are optimized to obtain higher quality of milk in the industry. Some, heat induced
changes are reversible and others are not.

The reversible heat induced changes occur during the heat

processing are:
lactose mutarotation
 ionic equilibrium
 protein conformation alterations
casein association
fat globules agglutination
fat crystallization

The irreversible heat induced changes are:

Whey protein denaturation
Whey protein-casein micelle interactions
Maillard reactions
Fat globule composition changes
Vitamin content changes
Lactose is converted to lactulsoe by isomerization through UHT treatment.
Lactulose isomerization is catalyzed by free amino group of casein and this isomerization is strictly depends on time
of heating and heating temperature and pH. The lactulsoe formation is little higher in the indirect heat systems with
comparing the direct heating systems and UHT direct with injection system having more effect than the UHT direct
with infusion system.

• Several physical and chemical changes in whey protein can occur

•These changes affect the functional and sensory properties of milk.
•During the heating process, whey protein containing sulfyhydryl residues undergo following changes,
– A protein complex between beta-lactoglobulin and kappa-casein, with consequent modification of rennet
coagulation behavior and heat stability
– Typical off flavors
– Unusual amino acids
•The extent of denaturation of β-lactoglobulin in UHT milk can vary from as low as 35% in direct plants to close to
100% in indirect plants

 Slight increase in the size of the casein micelle due to its association with denatured whey proteins and
calcium phosphate
 Depends on the time and temperature of processing and the pH of the milk.
 This lead to a chalky or astringent defect in UHT
 Milk (especially if heated by steam injection), which can be eliminated by homogenization after the high-
heat treatment
 UHT processing causes virtually no physical or chemical changes in the structure, properties, or
nutritional value of milk fat.

20 and 30% losses in vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B12 can occur during UHT treatment
The levels of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and folic acid are markedly reduced in UHT milk containing a
significant level of oxygen during UHT processing and storage.
UHT affects the folate binding protein (FBP) at a considerable level which is significantly lower with
compared to raw milk. The concentration of FBP, which might have an impact on folate absorbtion
The fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and E) are largely unaffected by UHT treatment

They are heat resistant especially beta-carotene is unaffected by UHT processing.

But in case of retinol, it undergoes some changes

The fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and E) are largely unaffected by UHT treatment. They are heat resistant
especially beta-carotene is unaffected by UHT processing. But in case of retinol, it undergoes some
changes
 Minerals
Milk salts thus exist in an equilibrium between the liquid and colloidal phase: this equilibrium can be affected by
processing

•UHT processing transfers minerals from the aqueous phase to the casein micelle and reduces ionic calcium levels by 10
to 20%.
•This, in addition to the interaction of whey proteins with the casein micelle, reduces the susceptibility of UHT milk to
coagulation by rennet.
•Some calcium phosphate is rendered insoluble at the high temperatures used in UHT heating and deposits on the
surfaces of the heat exchanger (fouling).