BATCH & TUNNEL PASTEURIZATION for CIDER / HARD CIDER PRODUCTION
Cider making is similar to winemaking; however, cider usually contains lower ethanol than wine (5-7% vs. 11-15%), and for this reason is more prone to microbial spoilage (3). Refermentation in the package and consequent bottle explosion has been a concern for cider makers since years ago; besides, refermentation from certain types of bacteria such as Zygosaccharomyces is a cause of harm for consumers (4). To avoid this, hard cider pasteurization is used to preserve product safety and quality.
Through cider pasteurization, microbiological organisms are inactivated to reach stability and increase cider shelf life. The process involves heating the product to approximately 60 °C (140 °F) for a determined period of time. If the cider is under-pasteurized, the microorganisms might survive, while over-pasteurization could result in flavor and other attribute changes (5). Pasteurization has evolved in the last decades from simple (but labor-intensive) to automated methods; newer methods utilize batch or tunnel pasteurizers.
There are several options for cider pasteurization, including non-thermal and thermal (1). The non-thermal processes include high-pressure (6), ultrasound (7), UV-irradiation (6), and pulsed electric fields (8). Although some of these methods have been approved already by the Food and Drug Administration, most of them are still limited in commercial applications because of their effectiveness (1)
Therefore, thermal
processes are considered to have the most microbial safety, and are the most cost-effective (9). The Cider Institute of North
America might be a good resource for delving deep into hard cider
pasteurizers; otherwise, the fundamental book: Review
of Potential Pasteurization Methods for Apple Cider.
Cider pasteurization can be performed using a batch pasteurizer or a tunnel pasteurizer, measured in pasteurization units or PUs defined as 1 PU when the product is exposed to 60°C (140°F) for one minute (10). However, in the cider industry there is no established standard regarding the sufficient number of PUs needed. While the beer industry has defined a range of 12 +/-2 for proper pasteurization, some cider makers have reported using between 10-25 PUs for hard cider, while a magnitude of 20-25 PUs or even higher is used by others (11)
Using an insufficient
amount of PUs can result in limited microorganism destruction and spoilage; on
the other hand, using excessive PUs could lead to economic losses and energy
expenditures (3). Additionally, cider
is considered a “healthy” drink because phytochemical and antioxidant profiles
are elevated in cider compared to the juice (12).
If incorrect cider pasteurization happens, it may result in physiochemical
changes altering sensory modifications or reducing the bioavailability of
important antioxidants in the product (3). We should have in
mind the crucial goal of reducing the risk from microorganisms, but also, it
needs to be balanced with retention of quality attributes.
The
terms batch pasteurizer, vat pasteurizer, and low heat pasteurizer generally
mean a process of heating every particle of the hard cider. As the Review
of Potential Pasteurization Methods for Apple Cider recalls,
the batch process stores a quantity of cider (for example, 100+ gallons) in a
vat that is heated and agitated at the same time, to a temperature of
approximately 63 °C (145°F) and held for 30 minutes. The specific temperature
and holding time eradicates the microorganisms and makes the product safer for
consumption.
Although, this capacity might be considered reduced for commercial needs. A multipurpose vat is used for batch pasteurization, which is an insulated, cylindrical vessel with a double jacket. The tank is heated by circulating hot water or steam in the inner jacket. The cider is slowly heated, and after reaching the required temperature, is held for the required amount of time (typically 30 min); during the heating process, the product is agitated slowly.
Finally, it is cooled to below 4 °C (39 °F), which may be accomplished through air cooling or by dipping in a cool water bath. Another type of batch pasteurizer is a Spray Batch Pasteurizer. In a spray batch pasteurizer, the cider is heated in the bottle or can by multiple spray headers (nozzles) coating the bottles or cans with heated water. This method of heating is preferable to a tank or vat batch pasteurizer because the heating process is more uniform.
The temperature of the water sprays is predetermined and controlled depending on the PUs requirements of the product. There are different references of design, features, and capabilities of tunnel pasteurizers for cider; for example, spray patterns, water volumes, and distribution systems depend on the pasteurizer manufacturer. Also, certain systems have the water running off the packages collected in reservoirs, heated, or cooled, and recycled to the sprays again (5).
Other characteristics of the product are important when considering pasteurizing cider, such as bottle size, material, and shape, which may influence the process (15). Also, depending on the fruit from which the cider is made, for example, apple, pear, cherries, etc., the hard cider will have a different ethanol content (2), which research has shown to be an important contributor to the heat process. Other important factors related to the cider's particular chemistry relevant to the pasteurization process are pH and sulfur dioxide concentrations (3).
The Cider Academy (UK based) might be a resourceful website for discussing the different types of pasteurization processes, production equipment, packaging, and laboratory analysis.
Another cider resource is the American Cider Association at https://ciderassociation.org/
Ed Michalski Bio
Ed Michalski started his career in the beverage industry by designing stainless steel, higher flow spray headers for Pabst Brewing. Along with the headers he also designed a matching process to produce those headers.
Ed, along with his brother David, formed PRO Engineering/Manufacturing, Inc. and became the primary vendor to Miller Brewing for pasteurizer re-design and refurbishment.
He developed a conversion process that changed the conversion of walking beam pasteurizers to flat mat. With his modular design the conversion was reduced from 7 weeks to 2 weeks.
His goal has always been reduction of labor costs and time. Reduced downtime for projects and maintenance are a key goal as extra hours for conversion and general maintenance are hours that are lost forever.
Based on what they learned by re-designing and refurbishing other manufacturers’ pasteurizers, Ed and PRO started to offer the pasteurizer marketplace awesome pasteurizers.
PRO and Ed have been designing and manufacturing great pasteurizers for over four decades.
References
1. Techakanon
C, Sirimuangmoon C. The Effect of Pasteurization and Shelf Life on the
Physicochemical, Microbiological, Antioxidant, and Sensory Properties of Rose
Apple Cider during Cold Storage. Beverages. 2020 Sep;6(3):43.
2. Jarvis B. Cider: Cyder and Hard Cider. 2nd
ed. Oxford: Encyclopedia of Food Microbiolog; 2014.
3. Valliere B, Harkins S. A Preliminary
Evaluation to Establish Bath Pasteurization Guidelines for Hard Cider.
Beverages. 2020 Jun;6(2):24.
4. Grinbaum A, Ashkenazi I, Treister G,
Goldschmied-Reouven A, Block CS. Exploding bottles: eye injury due to yeast
fermentation of an uncarbonated soft drink. Br J Ophthalmol. 1994
Nov;78(11):883.
5. Becker KW, Jr LGF, Kropp L, Straka RB.
Pasteurization method [Internet]. US4490401A, 1984 [cited 2020 Dec 30].
Available from: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4490401A/en
6. Koutchma T, Popović V, Ros‐Polski V, Popielarz A.
Effects of Ultraviolet Light and High-Pressure Processing on Quality and
Health-Related Constituents of Fresh Juice Products. Comprehensive Reviews in
Food Science and Food Safety. 2016;15(5):844–67.
7. Ugarte‐Romero E, Feng H, Martin SE, Cadwallader
KR, Robinson SJ. Inactivation of Escherichia coli with Power Ultrasound in
Apple Cider. Journal of Food Science. 2006;71(2):E102–8.
8. Turk MohammadF, Vorobiev E, Baron A.
Improving apple juice expression and quality by pulsed electric field on an
industrial scale. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 2012 Dec 1;49(2):245–50.
9. Rawson A, Patras A, Tiwari BK, Noci F,
Koutchma T, Brunton N. Effect of thermal and non thermal processing
technologies on the bioactive content of exotic fruits and their products:
Review of recent advances. Food Research International. 2011 Aug
1;44(7):1875–87.
10. Broderick HM. The Practical brewer. A manual
for the brewing industry. 1977;
11. Mitchell P. Cider & Perry Production-A
Foundation. Gloucestershire, UK: The Cider & Perry Academy; 2017.
12. Venkatachalam K, Techakanon C, Thitithanakul
S. Impact of the Ripening Stage of Wax Apples on Chemical Profiles of Juice and
Cider. ACS Omega. 2018 Jun 30;3(6):6710–8.
13. Engelman MS, Sani RL. Finite-Element
Simulation of an in-Package Pasteurization Process. Numerical Heat Transfer.
1983 Jan 1;6(1):41–54.
14. Richmond DW, Clyne CW, Holben TM.
Pasteurization process [Internet]. US4693902A, 1987 [cited 2020 Nov 16].
Available from: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4693902A/en
15. Dilay E, Vargas JVC, Amico SC, Ordonez JC.
Modeling, simulation and optimization of a beer pasteurization tunnel. Journal
of Food Engineering. 2006 Dec 1;77(3):500–13.
ABOUT PRO Engineering / Manufacturing Inc:
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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