Autoclave – Rendering or Canned Products, Retort System, Batch

Industry: Fruit and Vegetables (3114) Meat (NAICS 3116)

NAICS process:

311421 Canned Fruit and Vegetables

311422 Canned Specialty Products

311612 Meat Processed from Carcasses

Process Brief: Canned products are sterilized by heat after they are sealed Rendered material from the slaughter of beef, pork and poultry is cooked to produce meat

Energy source: Steam/Natural Gas

Energy Intensity: 100-500 Btu/lb

An autoclave is a large batch oven and the basic design can be used for rendering meat byproducts and for retorting canned goods. In rendering, the waters and oils are separated released from the cooker and the solid material is removed for further processing, including pressing and grinding. An autoclave for rendering will heat the material to 280°F for several hours at three atm of pressure. Retort systems sterilize canned products after they are sealed and an autoclave will heat the cans to approximately 250°F for 30 minutes at one atm of pressure. After sterilization, the temperature and pressure in the autoclave are reduced before the chamber is opened and the cans are transferred to a trough of cooling water.

The autoclave is jacketed with steam tubes and may be fitted with electric fans to facilitate the movement of hot air in the chamber. Generally, autoclaves are found at smaller rendering and canning facilities where large, continuous systems are not justified. The advantage of autoclaves is that they can handle a range of products, have great operational flexibility and can process smaller runs of product than continuous systems.

Energy Efficiency

SEISM in sterilization technology!

After several years of development, the Shaka™ technology is now available on the market. STERIFLOW SAS recently signed a manufacturing license agreement with Zinetec (inventor). In March 2006 the first lab-scale Shaka™ autoclave was manufactured.

During processing time, the containers are vigorously shaken at a frequency of 100 to 150 cycles per minute. The agitation of the products is achieved by a horizontal movement of the baskets. This product agitation allows to sharply speedup the heat penetration. Cycle times are reduced by 5 to 6 times compared to usual autoclaves.

The reduced process time has a highly positive impact on the quality of the products (colour, taste, vitamin preservation…) compared to what is usually obtained with static or rotary autoclaves. The Shaka™ can be used with all types of containers available (cans, glass jars, trays, pouches…). Products such as sauces, soups, babyfood, vegetables or petfood have been positively tested.

Besides, it is obvious that the sharp decrease in cycle times greatly improves the yield of the sterilization equipment. From 4 to 5 sterilization cycles per hour can be performed on the Shaka™.

Source: http://www.steriflow.com/en/51-shaka- 4/2007

Manufacturers

STERIFLOW SAS –

Sales Office –

32, rue de Cambrai 75019

PARIS  FRANCE

Telephone : +33 1 40 37 08 45

Web site: www.steriflow.com