Sterilization process for canned tomatoes

Thermal treatment by sterilization is one of the most important steps in the processing of canned foods. A proper selection of the process parameters is important to achieve two conflicting objectives: maximum destruction of the microorganisms and minimum loss of organoleptic Value of the product with a minimum consumption of energy in the process. In both cases it is fundamental the knowledge of the temperature history of the product. To this end, this work was addressed to develop a computationally efficient procedure for describing the heat transfer mechanism in canned peeled tomatoes as a function of the operating variables and For predicting thermal responses and lethality effect to be used for the better conduction of the sterilization process. An empirical correlation for the hear transfer coefficient that take into account the influence of the head space in the container and the velocity of rotation of the cans, is presented. The equation was derived from experimental data on the sterilization effect taken from an industrial plant and obtained by recording the temperature Values at the geometric centre of the food containers.