Heat treatments
The main objective of heat treatments is to destroy the reproduction capacities of microorganisms by heat, in order to ensure the conservation of products at room temperature in complete safety. The CTCPA helps you to define the optimal and specific scale for each couple product / packaging which is essential to guarantee a safe treatment (microbiological quality) and optimized (organoleptic quality). Heat treatments also allow to destroy enzymatic activities to stabilize products or to reach a certain degree of cooking. Pasteurization, sterilization, microbiological stability control, ohmic heating, development of isobaric scales, microwaves: we help you optimize your heat treatment scales to improve the organoleptic and nutritional qualities of your products, reduce processing times and cut energy consumption. We use our software Stéri'Opt.
The CTCPA is recognized by the DGAl (DGAL/SDSSA/N2011-8153) as the reference center for the validation of scales.
Development and validation of heat treatment scale
Enclosure mapping (autoclaves, ovens, tunnels, cooling cells, ...)
- Ensure the operational qualification of the autoclaves through the respect of temperature, pressure and time parameters.
- Identification of the cold and hot points of the enclosure and verification of its thermal homogeneity.
- Methodology established in consultation and based on international standards.
- Tools: 150 calibrated on-board sensors.
Scale validation
Development and optimization of thermal scales
- Determination of the specific scales for your autoclave and your range of products to control the sanitary safety.
- Tools: in-house simulation software allowing to apprehend a large number of different heat treatments, by varying the time/temperature couple with the objective of a target thermal intensity (VS or VP) while preserving the organoleptic qualities of the products as well as possible - probing equipment for any type of packaging.
Microbiological stability control
- To validate the determined scales applied on your autoclave during yourfirst production.
- Microbiology laboratory on our site in Avignon.
Development of isobaric scales
Determination of scales with a perfect control of the back pressure of the autoclave to avoid or limit the deformation of the packaging.
Multi-step protocol to identify all the industrial variables.
The tools: deformation sensors + on-board pressure sensors.
Ohmic heating
Assistance in the development and choice of continuous processes on pumpable products (plate heat exchangers, annular or corrugated tubular exchangers, grated surface exchangers, ohmic heating).
The technology of heat treatment by ohmic heating technology consists in heating a food by direct circulation in this food of an alternating electric current of high voltage (250 to 6000 Volt) and high intensity.
The Joule effect, linked to the electrical resistance of the product, transforms the electrical energy into heat. This technology is essentially implemented as a continuous process of thermal treatment of pasteurization or sterilization for pumpable products and thus coupled with an aseptic or ultra-clean packaging.
The product is circulated in an insulating and electrically insulated tube, equipped with annular electrodes at its ends (with grounding). A high frequency electric current is applied to the electrodes and circulates in the mass of the circulating product, generating heat by Joule effect.
This method of heating is very fast and makes it possible to apply treatments of pasteurization or sterilization by limiting very appreciably the impact of cooking, and to preserve the nutritional and organoleptic qualities .
Tools: multi-stage horizontal column with on-line conductivity measurement at the Avignon site, vertical column at the Amiens site.
Microwaves
Microwaves are electromagnetic radiation with frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength of 1mm to 1m at frequencies of 915 MHz or 2450 MHz used for food production applications.
The electrical energy is converted into microwaves by a magnetron, then the microwaves are routed through waveguides into a cavity of calibrated geometry where the products are placed.
The treatment can be done on static products, but more generally in tunnel, the products circulating continuously on a belt, with microwave applicators above and below. The microwave technology allows to obtain, by internal heat generation, a fast heating of the content, by converting the microwave energy penetrating the wet food, directly into heat.
Possible applications for drying, tempering during defrosting, blanching, pasteurization.
Tools:
- 2450 MHZ discontinuous cell equipped for power measurements and tuning
- Continuous tunnel last generation
Conventional continuous heat treatments
Assistance in the development and choice of continuous processes on pumpable products (plate heat exchangers, annular or corrugated tube heat exchangers, grated surface heat exchangers).
Setting up technical files for international export
- Implementation of technical protocols according to FDA guidelines.
- Realization of tests on your sites (mapping, VS measurements, ...).
- Exploitation of the results and writing of the report in English.
- After-sales follow-up
- FDA pre-audit support