The preheating step is a critical control point to assure product safety during high pressure thermal sterilization processing. It is of utmost importance that the initial product temperature achieved during preheating is equal or higher than the pressure chamber to reach the target pressurization temperature. Furthermore, high preheating efficiency is key to diminish loss in quality, especially in large product loads. Preheating efficiency is easily affected by changes in preheating media, dimensions and structure of the product, the product initial temperature, product thermal diffusivity, and the type of utilized packaging material. Knowing the degree in which some of these factors affect the preheating rate in eggbased products can help establishing optimal processing conditions for these products. The purpose of this communication is to report on the effect of product size, packaging material used, and initial product temperature on the preheating efficiency in scrambled egg patties.
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