Pasteurizers & Thermal Process Systems

Thermal Process Systems Designed to Optimize Pasteurization of Food, Beverage, Dairy, and Cheese Products

Pasteurization and thermal process is essential in modern dairy, cheese, food, and beverage production for extended product shelf life, product safety and quality. This is especially important when producing milk, yogurt, cheese, juice, and alternative specialty food products. While the pasteurization process is essential across innumerable consumable food and ready-to-drink products, it also has its own unique requirements that govern the set points and regulatory compliance, such as 3-A, PMO, FSMA, and other applicable standards.

We carefully consider the unique requirements for each application and apply the depth and breadth of our experience to designing and engineering pasteurization solutions and products that fit your unique product needs. Our seasoned design engineers begin each of these projects with an important question:

Does the pasteurization application require vat pasteurizers, plate and frame heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, tube and tube heat exchangers or a combination of those different technologies to achieve the thermal process goal?

Pasteurizer System Design-Build

The answer to this question can be different depending on the process line and if it is producing a food, beverage, dairy, or cheese product. The purpose of the thermal process has to recognized and can including the destruction of disease-causing microorganisms (pathogens) for shelf stability, texture change, or change of fluid characteristics such as odor.

Typical Application of Pasteurization Process Systems for Food, Beverage, Dairy, or Cheese Products

We design continuous, semi-continuous, and batched pasteurization systems that incorporate vat pasteurization as well as other pasteurization technologies, such as High-Temperature-Short-Time (HTST), Higher-Heat-Short-Time (HHST), Ultra High Temperature (UHT), and Ultra Pasteurized (UP). By incorporating your process requirements, applicable regulations, system size, current plant capabilities, and project timeline, Placer Process offers either a modular skid-mounted pasteurizer system or an alternate field-installed process system designed specifically for your milk, dairy, cheese, food, or beverage production facility.

Vat Pasteurization

For specialty foods, ice cream, yogurt, and other thick products, vat pasteurization is the preferred method to process the product at elevated temperature for a set period of time. Flavor addition and other ingredients addition may happen within the same tank or vat system. Upon heat treatment of the product, the pasteurized product can then be transferred for filling. Vat pasteurization process systems are popular for dairy, ice cream, and yogurt, as well as thick food and beverage products including specialty alternative foods.

Pasteurizer System Design

High Temperature Short Time (HTST)

High temperature short time (HTST) is the most common method of pasteurization. This method typically allows continuous flow of product from the raw or batching tanks to final storage or filling. By incorporating heat exchanger with hot water, it allows product temperature to be raised to 161°F for at least 15 seconds or a lower temperature for a longer time which then followed by rapid cooling or trim cooling to meet filler filling temperature requirement. HTST pasteurization process systems are commonly used for dairy, milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, wine, beer, food and beverage products including cannabis infused edibles and specialty foods.

Higher Heat Short Time (HHST)

Higher heat short time (HHST) is similar to HTST system described above. HHST uses slightly different equipment to allow the system to reach higher temperature for a shorter time. In milk and dairy application, HHST can range from 191°F to 212°F. The higher the temperature, the shorter the holding time required. Common applications for HHST pasteurization process systems are milk, dairy, juices, food and beverage products. HHST can also be used for specialty alternative foods and cannabis infused edibles.

Ultra High Temperature (UHT)

Ultra high temperature (UHT) is another prominent method of pasteurization in dairy products. The product will need to be heated to 280°F for at least 2 seconds, then followed by rapid cooling. With this process, the milk is heated using sterile-grade equipment and being filled in aseptic condition into aseptic-type packaging for shelf-stable products with prolonged shelf-life. The UHT products do not need refrigeration and is shelf stable for months until opened by the consumers. Many times we build UHT process systems for facilities producing dairy, milk, cheese, juices, and other food and beverage products such as specialty alternative foods and cannabis infused foods and drinks.

Ultra Pasteurized (UP)

While ultra pasteurized is fairly similar to UHT process, UP is not considered sterile because of the packaging of the product that is not hermetically sealed. The product is heated to 280°F for at least 2 seconds, then rapidly cooled to storage temperature. UP products are refrigerated and have an average shelf life of 1 to 3 months. Some examples of UP process system applications include dairy, cheese, milk, juice, alternative specialty foods, and food and beverages.

Comprehensive Pasteurizer and Thermal Process Systems for Dairy, Cheese, Food, and Beverage Industry

Placer Process team has various experience in designing and building thermal process pasteurizer systems for multiple manufacturing applications from the small, medium, to large scale systems. We can develop a pasteurizer system including its process components, accessories, instrumentations, piping, hold tube, control systems, and its associated hot and cold utility systems for your dairy, cheese food and beverage production facility.

Incorporating your process requirements, existing plant capabilities, and project timeline, Placer Process can offer either a modular skid-mounted pasteurizer system or an alternate field-installed system. Depending on the application, our various pasteurizer modules can incorporate the low-temperature long time (LTLT), high-temperature short time (HTST), higher heat short time (HHST), ultra-high temperature (UHT), ultra-pasteurized (UP), or aseptic technology. Our typical pasteurizer system is following the hygienic sanitary standard practices. However, we have the ability to modify the system requirements for your project needs. Our process system piping is typically offered as stainless steel. We can provide alternative materials for specialty applications.

Placer Process Unique Expertise - Modernization, Expansion, Retrofits, and Upgrades of Pasteurizers and Thermal Process Systems

While our standard pasteurizer systems follow hygienic sanitary standard practices, we have the ability to modify your existing or new systems to fit your project needs within dairy, milk, cheese, food, beverage, winery, brewery, cannabis, and specialty food production plants. Our team can analyze and audit your existing systems and provide recommendations and proposed system modifications or upgrades to meet your current and future demands. With our process engineering expertise combined with system fabrication and field installation experience, we offer well-rounded feedback and a breadth of hands-on implementation plan that are feasible, efficient, reasonable, and practical with cost and down-time considerations in mind. Contact Placer Process today to find out how we can help you solve your toughest process challenges.

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