What Beverage Makers Should Know About Tea Pasteurization
WHAT BEVERAGE MAKERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TEA PASTEURIZATION
Why is it important to
pasteurize tea?
As bottlers become
increasingly creative with flavors of bottled tea products, every tea maker should
ensure that they know how to pasteurize tea properly. For any responsible
manufacturer in the beverage industry, the safety and wellbeing of valued
customers should be of paramount importance.
Selling a faulty product
that is potentially hazardous to someone's health can do irreparable damage to
a brand. This can be hard to bounce back from, both from the perspective of the
retailer and the customer. The good news is that for bottled tea beverages,
ensuring microbiological stability is simple and can be achieved with pasteurization.
The science behind
pasteurization of tea is straight forward. The yeasts and bacteria responsible for spoilage can be introduced
in various ways during production. For instance, it may result from improper
sterilization of equipment and machinery. Microbes may also be present in the
tea itself. This is particularly true of exotic teas and teas prepared with
flowers. While risks are lower for traditional black or green teas, anything
added later in the process such as fruit juice, extracts, or natural sugars can
also result in contamination.
Furthermore, there are
certain teas that are conducive to spoilage once microorganisms are present. For
instance, teas with a higher sugar content create an opportunity for yeasts to
thrive and convert sugars into carbon dioxide. Naturally, this completely
alters the taste profile of the product, but more importantly, there is no
guarantee of how safe for consumption the product will be at this point.
Additionally, the pressure build-up from trapped carbon dioxide can lead to
popping bottle tops.
How does pasteurization of tea work?
The key to the process
has one central feature: heat. With thermal processing, microorganisms such as
yeasts can be deactivated, redusing the risk of fermentation and as such,
hazards to the customer. The procedure can be carried out using pasteurizers
that transfer heat through water sprays. This can be conducted fast enough that
it has a minimal effect on the tea's flavor (if any at all).
What kind of tea pasteurization equipment is best for you?
When purchasing
pasteurization equipment, one should consider the scale of operation.
With batch pasteurizers, a lower quantity of bottles are processed at a
time. Batch pasteurizers are ideal for beverage makers who want to try new recipes
before going into large scale production, bottlers with reduced floor space or
even universities educating students in the Food and Beverage field.
Larger producers with a
high throughput may want to consider if a higher capacity model such as a
tunnel pasteurizer is more in line with their needs. These sophisticated machines
typically feature a conveyer belt that passes bottles through a thermal
processing unit. If rapid cooling is required to preserve flavors, the system
can be combined with a tunnel cooler.
Make sure your bottled
beverages are stable, safe for consumption, and tasting their very best. Head
to our page to find out more about our pasteurization equipment.
PRO
Engineering and Manufacturing was established in 1977 by Ed and Dave Michalski
as a steel fabrication shop. For more than 40 years, PRO Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc.
has been delivering solutions for beverage product shelf stability and
consumption safety.
As leading innovators in post-fill pasteurization, our skilled
team offers the best in high-quality pasteurization equipment including tunnel
& batch pasteurizers.
Our focus is on
solving microbiological packaging needs for a wide variety of customers. Located
in Milwaukee and serving the beverage industry worldwide. Contact us today for
more information and options on how to grow your business.
CONTACT US:
Phone: 800-362-1500 | Email: sales@prowm.com
PRO Engineering / Manufacturing Inc
11175 W Heather Ave Milwaukee, WI 53224
414-362-1500
https://prowm.com
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