Q: How does a Retort work? A: In brief, the Retort heats and cools product filled containers to pre-determined temperatures for a pre-defined amount of time in order to ensure the product is safe for consumption and can be stored in an ambient environment (shelf stable).
What is a retort used for?
Q: What is a Retort? A: The Retort is a food and beverage sterilizer that is primarily used for heating, cooling and sometimes agitating the product and its container to kill harmful organisms and produce safe shelf stable products. Q: Why do you need to sterilize?
What is a batch retort and how does it work?
Batch retorts also may contain rotating racks that agitate the product in an end-over-end manner. This speeds the heat transfer in products that flow by agitating the contents by the movement of the air bubble created by the headspace. Lacking this bubble, there is little if any advantage in using this system for solid pack foods.
Is retorting the future of food processing?
While industry experts agree that retorting food products is a mature technology, that does not mean it is stagnant. As scientists and engineers know, room for improvement always can be found. Still, in terms of processing, the options are somewhat limited. "There are only so many ways you can cool and heat in a retort system," points out Heyliger.
What is a steam-air retort process?
The Steam-Air process is an overpressure process, like water immersion, and water-spray, except that the product is exposed to the influence of the overpressure air. In what other ways do steam air retorts differ from other types of retorting processes?
How long is the retort process?
"If you look at the thermal processes available for microbial stability and they range from 240 to 280°F, the 240°F process would be about 50 minutes long.
How does steam retort work?
The steam-air retort uses a mixture of steam and air, which is added to create an over-pressure in the retort. The air over-pressure allows thermal processing of a wide variety of containers including: glass, metal cans, rigid plastic, and flexible pouches.
How do you retort food?
The food is first prepared, either raw or cooked, and then sealed into the retort pouch. The pouch is then heated to 240-250 °F (116-121 °C) for several minutes under high pressure inside a retort or autoclave machine. The food inside is cooked in a similar way to pressure cooking.
What is retort system?
Retort consists of basket in which packaged food is kept. Then these food products are exposed to the sterilizing temperature (121 Deg. C) mainly by the application of steam and high pressure (15 psi). Compressed air and water are used for sterilizing and cooling for the food products respectively.
What is the difference between autoclave and retort?
An autoclave (also know as a retort) is a pressure chamber used to sterilize products, equipment and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 °C for between 15–120 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents.
What is retort temperature?
Heat for 136° C (277° F) 1 minute (time and temperature). This over-shoot temperature is used to help achieve adequate temperature distribution in the retort.
Why pressure is important in retort processing?
Overpressure is also important in the cooling phases of a retort process because as cooling water is introduced into the retort it collapses the steam created in the heating step(s).
Is retort food safe?
One of the major advantages of retorting ready-meal packages is that both food and package are thermally processed together, which allows the filled packages to be commercially sterile.
What foods are retorted?
Many different types of food may be canned and retorted e.g. Canned fruit and vegetables, canned meals (e.g. Irish stew), canned soups, retort pouches of tuna, etc. A package is hermetically sealed if it is “airtight” e.g. Heat sealed plastic bag, sealed can or glass jar with screw cap.
What is a retort machine food processing?
Retorts sterilize food that is sealed in a container, using steam or other heating methods. Typically, the sterilization temperatures vary from 110°C to 135°C. Retort sterilization provides an effective means of achieving optimum shelf stability and can be done with fairly simple equipment.
How is retort made?
A process of heating oil shale to produce shale oil, oil shale gas, and spent shale is commonly called retorting. Airtight vessels to apply pressure as well as heat are called autoclaves.
How is retorting done in bottling?
The retort sterilization process involves first filling the pouch and then exposing the sealed package to ultra-high heat. The thin packaging quickly transmits heat, permitting content sterilization to occur up to 40% faster than with jars and cans.
What is water spray retort?
1. The premium spray retorts allow for pasteurization with minimum process water, direct heating and indirect cooling, and no touch between cooling water and process water, successfully avoiding secondary contamination.
What is agitating retort?
Agitating style retorts are typically used for convective (i.e.: “flowable liquid”) type products that benefit from some product movement (i.e.: 'stirring”) in the container during the process.
Which of the following can be sterilized in an autoclave?
An autoclave is used to sterilize surgical equipment, laboratory instruments, pharmaceutical items, and other materials. It can sterilize solids, liquids, hollows, and instruments of various shapes and sizes.
What is the goal of retort processing?
The goal of retort processing is to obtain commercial sterilization by the application of heat. The microorganism of greatest concern is Clostridium botulinum, a gas forming anaerobe that produces a lethal exotoxin. Additionally, any spoilage organisms present need to be inactivated.
How does a continuous retort work?
Continuous retorts increase the production rate and lower the labor costs, as well as increase the rate of heat transfer in fluid products. The most common design feeds cylindrical container through a mechanical pressure lock and conveys them through the retort on a horizontal, spiral conveying system. Typically, the cans rotate on their own axis for a portion of the spiral. The two types of rotation provide agitation, incorporating the headspace bubble and improving the heat transfer.
Why blanch before retorting?
Blanching prior to retorting serves several purposes. Most importantly is removes tissue gases. This increases the level of vacuum in the container and reduces the amount of oxygen present, both of which extend the shelf life . Additional blanching softens the product, which facilitates filling and acts as a preheating step prior to retorting.
Can a retorted product be spoilage?
Under normal circumstances this does not cause problems. But, if a retorted product is held at elevated temperatures for long periods of time, spoi lage can occur due to inadequate cooling or hot storage temperatures.
Is retort sterilization a new technology?
While retort sterilization may not have the cachet of some newer methods of food preservation, it is still a complex technology. The foremost consideration is that of safety. While processing mistakes in other disciplines can mean repercussions in product quality, and, at worst, repercussions to your career, miscalculations in the retort process have the potential to kill someone.
What is batch retort?
Batch retorts execute a series of programmed process steps (also known as segments). These steps must be properly executed to achieve a sterilization process that meets the regulatory requirements imposed for food safety.
Why do you need a large fan in a retort?
Because overpressure air enters the retort with steam, and steam is the only heating medium, a large fan is used as a driving force to mix the steam with the air, to prevent cold spots in the machine . The fan is used in conjunction with a baffling arrangement inside of the retort to channel the heated steam-air mix to the center of the retort load.
What is cleared deviation?
CLEARED DEVIATION – When a deviation occurs, it may be possible to correct the process by adding time and/or temperature in order to compensate for the deviation. If this correction can take place in the retort, then the batch is declared to have a Cleared Deviation status.
How Does Cremation Work?
Depending on your location and the services performed, cremation can range from $1,000 – $3,000 on the low end of the spectrum but can cost as much as $6,000 – $8,000. Having a traditional service beforehand can significantly increase your costs, particularly if there is a viewing or if a casket is needed.
How Long Is the Process?
Cremation is considered more efficient than traditional burials and can be completed in a shorter amount of time following a death.
What Is a Cremation Chamber or Crematorium?
A cremation chamber, also known as a retort, is an industrial furnace designed to hold one body. Lined with fire-resistant bricks, the chamber can withstand temperatures up to 2,000 degrees. Modern cremation furnaces are automated and computerized, and they are fueled with natural gas, propane, or diesel.
Types of Cremation
Compared with traditional burial, cremation typically does not require embalming, and large burial plots are unnecessary. Cremation is also typically a less expensive arrangement than traditional burial.
The Body During the Cremation Process
The different types of cremation use different technologies to affect the body. In the “traditional” flame-based method, the body is placed into a cremation chamber that reduces the body to bone fragments using flame and heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
While there are special caskets designed for cremation, the container can also be a simple cardboard box. The only requirements are that the container must be combustible, nontoxic, and sturdy enough to hold the weight of the body.
Next steps
Although cremations are less costly than traditional burials, they still come with significant costs. If you are considering cremation for yourself or a loved one, it’s important to think about how you’ll pay for the procedure. One solution is final expense life insurance – also called burial insurance or funeral insurance.
