Models for thermal process evaluation

摘要

Canned foods have shelf lives measured in months or years, providing plenty of time for microbial growth in products. Without the controlled temperature environment during storage, the microbiological safety of a canned food relies upon the thermal process. Establishing safe thermal processes is therefore a key task which should be undertaken by those who are fully aware of the potential safety risks and the margins for error. In the 1990s, ready access to computers has encouraged food companies to use models for manipulating thermal process data and to investigate operating margins of processes. The critical step is to understand the limitations of each model, and this is discussed later in this article.