MA. EDELWINA M. BLAS PhD.

Heat is one of the oldest methods of destroying microorganisms in food processing and preservation. The greatest advance in food hygiene was inadvertently made when humans discovered the advantage of boiling, roasting, baking and other heat treatments of food, hence preserving the food for longer periods. Food is also rendered safe by the application of heat because most pathogenic microorganisms are comparatively heat-sensitive. Some of the methods of heat treatment used for food preservation are discussed below.

The processing of foods by heat (or heat treatment) is the most important conservation technique of long duration. It aims to destroy or partially or totally inhibit enzymes and microorganisms, whose presence or proliferation could alter the food in question or make it unfit for human consumption.

The effect of heat treatment is related to the couple time / temperature. In general, the higher the temperature is high and the longer the term, the greater the effect will be important. However, we must also take into account the thermal resistance of microorganisms and enzymes and is highly variable.

Heat may be used either for processing or conversion of foods or simply as a means or preserving the food. In heat processing or conversion the application of heat is used primarily to effect chemical changes in food. Cooking, frying and baking involve both processing and preservation operations. Cooking makes food palatable and tender and also destroys a large proportion of microorganisms and natural enzymes. Cooked foods can be stored for several days provided they are protected from recontamination.

The type of heat treatment will depend on the kind of organism to be killed, other preservative methods to be employed and the effect of heat on the food.

The use of heat also affects the food adversely and hence it is necessary to use only mild heat treatment that ensures freedom from pathogens and enzyme activity and enhance the self life of the food.

There are several techniques of food preservation by heat treatment such as sterilization, pasteurization, thermisation, cooking and blanching. The heat sterilization involves exposing food to a temperature generally exceeding 100 C for a period sufficient to inhibit enzymes and all forms of microorganisms, including bacteria spore. Sterilization of a food is not sufficient in itself for its long-term conservation. A subsequent contamination of food by microorganisms environment might occur. To address this, we proceed to the sterilization of container (container) and content (the food), the container must be watertight and microorganisms to not recontamination after sterilization.

The sterilization of the food and its container can be achieved in two ways: The first is a simultaneous sterilization of the container and the content (appertization). The second is to separate sterilization of the container and the content followed (aseptic packaging).

Appertization: Sterilization of both the container and contents The appertization is a process of conservation is to be sterilized by the heat of perishable goods in containers (cans, jars, etc..) Tightly closed. Its discovery dates back to the 1790s. Nicolas Appert was the first who developed the method of sterilization by heat in a tightly closed. The appertization is widely used today for long term food of animal or vegetable origin. The shelf life of foods appertiss is several months to several years.

Sterilization of the container and separate the content In this case, the food product (content) is sterilized by heat treatment before being enclosed in its container. The latter is also sterilized by heat or by other processes (by ultra-violet, for example), but prior to contain the product. Then, the content is sterilized sealed in its packaging (container), and sterilized. The process of conditioning takes place in an enclosure which prevents the contamination of the product by the microorganisms in the environment: This is the aseptic packaging. This technique is generally used for the conservation of liquid products (milk, juice, etc..) In packages that can not stand the appertization as plastic bags and cartons Tetra Brik type.

When the sterilization of the product is carried out at high temperature (135 C to 150 C) for a short duration (15 sec. To 1 sec.). We talk about sterilization UHT (Ultra High Temperature). This technique has the advantage of preserving the organoleptic and nutritional quality of the product sterilized. However, it can not be used in the case of liquid products like milk.

Pasteurization is a heat treatment sufficient to moderate and the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms and a large number of microorganisms of alteration. The temperature of treatment is generally less than 100 C and lasts a few seconds to several minutes. The following table provides illustrative examples of scales of pasteurization.

Sample Schedule of pasteurization Products Pasteurization temperature 65 C Fruit juices (pH <4.5) 77 C 88 C 68 C Beer (pH <4.5) 75 C 63 C Milk (pH> 4.5) 72 C 65 C Ice cream (pH> 4.5) 71 C 80 C 15 s 30 min 10 min 15 s 4 min 30 min Duration treatment 30 min 1 min 15 s 20 min

All microorganisms are not eliminated by pasteurization, the heat treatment must be followed by an abrupt cooling. Pasteurized foods are usually kept in cold (4 C) to slow the development of germs still present. Their shelf life is so limited. Outside of refrigeration, other means of conservation can be used in parallel to counter the growth of microorganisms survivors, such as the addition of chemical preservatives, reducing water activity (aw), acidification, etc..

Pasteurization is named after its inventor, Louis Pasteur, a French chemist. Pasteurization is a process of heat treatment of milk, beer and some other beverages. It requires sufficient holding time to assure the thermal destruction of pathogens and organisms responsible for spoilage, without altering the nutritional value. It involves heating the food to a specific temperature for a specific time and then cooling rapidly.

Pasteurisation kills most but not all of the microorganisms present It is a very useful method when more rigorous heat treatment could harm the quality of the product, as in the case of milk, and when the aim is to kill only the pathogens that are not very heatresistant. The temperature applied and the holding time of pasteurisation vary with the equipment available and the type of food product. In milk pasteurisation, the time-temperature combination is selected on the basis of the thermal death time of the most resistant pathogens (TB bacilli) that may be present in raw milk, and the maximum temperature and time at which the taste, palatability and nutritive value of milk are maintained. Normally milk is pasteurised at 62.8C for at least 30 minutes or at 71.7C for at least 15 seconds, or, if using ultra-high temperature (UHT), at 135C for 12 seconds. UHT milk is sterilised, meaning all forms of life are destroyed. This extends its storage time but does affect the taste.

Thermisation is a heat treatment applied to raw milk. The latter should be brought to a temperature of at least 63 C for 16 seconds. Thermisation is a weakened form of pasteurization. Its main objective is the destruction of pathogenic bacteria that may be found in milk, all without altering its technological characteristics. However, this treatment may decrease the microbial load banal milk (lactic acid bacteria, bacteria refining, etc.).. That charge is generally used for the preparation of raw milk cheese. In this case, we must appeal to bacteria grown in the laboratory to replace those missing.

Is a heat treatment of a few minutes at 70 C to 100 C to destroy the enzymes that may affect the vegetables or fruit before further processing (freezing, drying, etc.).. In fact the destruction of enzymes is one objective among many others and the role of blanching as a pretreatment before drying, lyophilization, or freezing appertization.

Before drying or freeze-drying, blanching is used as a pretreatment for the destruction of enzymes responsible for organoleptic changes such as changes in flavor and / or color. The treatment also allows the reduction of microbial load and facilitates rehydration. Before appertization, blanching is not intended to destroy the enzymes when the scales applied widely enough for their destruction. In this case,it has other roles: Removal of occluded gas in the tissues before casing, otherwise their presence leads to an internal overpressure, with a risk of bending or flochage boxes. Fill hot: It generally takes the precaution to fill the hot juice boxes so that crimping (or capping) will take place in atmosphere of steam and the air is so driven. Blanching can follow the hot vegetables to prevent a cooling of the juice in contact with vegetables which are cold.

Blanching Control The effectiveness of blanching can be controlled by testing the inactivation or the presence of two enzymes widely distributed in plants: catalase and peroxidase. Catalase is an enzyme oxydative resulting in the formation of oxygen from hydrogen peroxide: 2 H2 O 2 2 H 2 O + O 2 The activity of catalase is highlighted by grinding the product can be milled and mixed with calcium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide: an off-gas (O2) indicating a catalase activity.

Peroxidase is an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation with hydrogen peroxide of various substrates: H2O2 + 2 AH 2H2O + 2 A The activity of peroxidase is revealed by the appearance of a brown color instead of black when guaiacol and hydrogen peroxide in contact with the product milled. Peroxidase is considered the most heat-and the effectiveness of blanching can be evaluated based solely on the test inactivation or presence of this enzyme.

Elimination of false taste: Cauliflowers not blanched retains a bitter taste intolerable. Elimination disorders: Blanching helps eliminate troubles such as those made by extracting starch. Before freezing, in addition to the destruction of enzymes, the removal of occluded gas in the tissues and consequently limit the phenomena of oxidation.

Cooking is a heat treatment of foods to make them consumable. Its main objective is the development of the organoleptic characteristics of the product: Improving the taste, odor, color and texture. According to the scales used, the cooking may be associated with a substantial reduction or even elimination of the microbial load present on the product. Cooked products can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and in the freezer for a few weeks.

There are five ways of cooking basic foods can be dipped in a liquid such as water, broth (flavored or not) or wine (poaching, boiling broth or stew), immersed in animal fat or oil (frying), exposed to steam (steam cooking and to some extent, braising) or dry heat (roasting, baking, cooking on the grill) or even stoves in small quantities of hot fat (skipped).

Although the spores of Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, are extremely heat-resistant, the toxin produced by this organism is readily destroyed by boiling. However, some toxins produced by other bacteria such as staphylococci are not easily inactivated. Thermophilic (heat-loving) organisms may survive the effects of boiling and can cause food spoilage if environmental conditions are favourable for them. Bacterial destruction by heat is affected by time and temperature variation. The higher the temperature, the more rapid is the destruction. On the other hand, as the temperature is lowered, the time of exposure (holding time) needs to be longer.

However, cooking will not sterilize a product. Cooking also destroys the toxin formed by Clostridium botulinum during a ten minute exposure of the food to moist heat at 100 degree C. Thus cooking provides a final measure of protection for consumer form food borne diseases. The killing of microorganisms by heat is due to thermal denaturation of protein and enzymes of the microorganism required for its metabolic activity and growth. The heat treatment necessary to kill the organisms or spores varies with the kind of organism, its state and the environment during heating.

Cooking can have some disadvantages. It can damage the foods appearance, texture and flavour, and may also destroy some important vitamins. Nevertheless, the advantages of cooking outweigh the disadvantages because it inhibits spoilage and possible disease transmission.

Boiling is the process of applying heat to water until the temperature reaches about 100C. Boiling foods in water cannot completely destroy all microorganisms, but the vegetative cells of bacteria, yeasts and moulds are generally quickly destroyed at temperatures of 100C or above. Spores of some bacteria are extremely resistant to heat and are not killed at this temperature, although their growth is prevented. For this reason, boiling food can rarely be relied upon to ensure complete destruction of all organisms. However, most pathogens are killed, provided that sufficient exposure time is maintained.

Canning is one of the most widely used modern methods of processing and preserving food. It involves the careful preparation of food packed into a sealed tin, glass or plastic container which is subjected to defined high temperatures (above 100C) for an appropriate period of time, and then cooled. Following the thermal (heat) processing, the sealed container must be cooled immediately to a temperature of about 38C to prevent unnecessary adverse effects of heat on the texture, flavour or colour of the food.

The canning method involves the following steps: sterilising the food to be canned, packing it in sterile, air-tight stainless metal, glass or plastic containers, and then hermetically sealing (i.e. with a complete, airtight seal) the containers to prevent contamination during handling and storage. In the heat process, all vegetative bacteria are destroyed and spores cannot grow. Any can that is damaged or swollen should not be used. A swollen, bulging can indicates that gas is being produced on the inside and demonstrates there is microbial activity in the food, so it would not be safe to eat.

Canning is the process of applying heat to food thats sealed in a jar in order to destroy any microorganisms that can cause food spoilage. Proper canning techniques stop this spoilage by heating the food for a specific period of time and killing these unwanted microorganisms. During the canning process, air is driven from the jar and a vacuum is formed as the jar cools and seals.

Water-bath canning: This method, sometimes referred to as hot water canning, uses a large kettle of boiling water. Filled jars are submerged in the water and heated to an internal temperature of 212 degrees for a specific period of time. Use this method for processing high-acid foods, such as fruit, items made from fruit, pickles, pickled food, and tomatoes.

Pressure canning: Pressure canning uses a large kettle that produces steam in a locked compartment. The filled jars in the kettle reach an internal temperature of 240 degrees under a specific pressure (stated in pounds) thats measured with a dial gauge or weighted gauge on the pressure-canner cover. Use a pressure canner for processing vegetables and other low-acid foods, such as meat, poultry, and fish.

Dont confuse a pressure canner with a pressure cooker, which is used to cook food quickly. A pressure cooker does not have adequate room for both the canning jars and the water needed to create the right amount of pressure to preserve foods. Older canning methods are unreliable and, for that reason, arent used or recommended today for home-canning. Occasionally, these methods are revived as being faster and easier than water-bath or pressure canning, but using other methods is like playing Russian roulette with your food safety.