Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 10-31-2025 Origin: Site
In today's pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, a glass of safe, freshly squeezed juice is a daily choice for many. But have you ever wondered how those bottled juices on supermarket shelves, with shelf lives of several months, can remain safe and delicious without adding large amounts of preservatives? The unsung hero behind this is the pasteurization machine—the silent guardian of quality in the beverage processing industry.
As an engineer with many years of experience, I will guide you to overcome technical barriers and quickly master the core knowledge of pasteurization machines from three aspects. Whether you are a novice or a senior enthusiast in the industry, you can gain something from it.
Choosing a pasteurizer for juice is like choosing roads for different vehicles, the right match is necessary for smooth operation. There are three mainstream devices:
◆plate pasteurizer: the efficient choice for clear juice
Working principle: Like a stack of tightly arranged stainless steel sheets, hot and cold juices flow rapidly alternately in the channels on both sides of the sheets, achieving instantaneous heat exchange.
Core advantages: high thermal efficiency, small footprint, easy disassembly and cleaning.
Applicable scenarios: Clear and low viscosity fruit juice products such as apple juice and grape juice.
◆Tubular pasteurizer: expert in fruit juice containing pulp
Working principle: Juice flows through a set of concentric stainless steel pipes, heated and cooled by the pipe walls.
Core advantages: Spacious channels, less prone to blockage, and able to withstand higher pressure.
Applicable scenarios: beverages containing fruit pulp or fiber such as orange juice, mango juice, strawberry juice, and even jam products.
◆Instant Pasteurization Machine: The Power Core of Mass Production
Working principle: An integrated continuous processing system that automatically controls the heating, insulation, and cooling of juice.
Core advantages: large processing capacity, significant energy-saving effect, full automation, perfectly meeting the needs of modern large-scale production lines.
Choosing is only the first step, understanding how to accurately match the product characteristics behind it is the key. The following figure clearly reveals the intrinsic relationship between equipment, products, and process parameters
The essence of pasteurization is a precise game with microorganisms, which requires finding the best balance between eliminating harmful bacteria and preserving nutritional flavors.
For the vast majority of high acidity fruit juices (such as orange juice and apple juice), the "high-temperature short-time" process is usually used, which involves maintaining a temperature of 90 ° C to 95 ° C for 15 to 30 seconds. This combination punch can effectively inactivate pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, while minimizing the damage to juice flavor and vitamins.
The 'hot filling' after sterilization is another crucial step. Immediately pour the juice that is still above 85 ° C into the sterilized packaging, which can use residual heat to perform secondary sterilization on the bottle mouth and body, greatly improving the safety and shelf life of the product.
A complete pasteurization process is a precise chain that is interlocked:
★Preprocessing: Fresh fruits are washed, juiced, and filtered to obtain the original juice to be sterilized.
★Sterilization: The raw juice is pumped into the selected pasteurizer and quickly heated to the set temperature and maintained for a specified time.
★Filling: The sterilized juice is immediately introduced into the filling machine for high-temperature hot filling.
★Cooling: The sealed bottled product is sent into a cooling tunnel for rapid cooling to terminate the heating process and lock in fresh taste.
Juice types | Typical sterilization temperature | Sterilization time | Description |
Clarified fruit juice (apple juice, grape juice, etc.) | 82–88°C | 15–30 s | Lower temperature prevents color oxidation |
Fruit juice containing pulp (orange juice, mango juice, strawberry juice, etc.) | 90–95°C | 15–60 s | Kills yeast and heat-resistant bacteria |
Mixed fruit and vegetable drinks or concentrates | 95–98°C | 20–60 s | High viscosity requires higher temperature |
Low-acid fruit juice (pH>4.5, such as carrot juice) | 95–100°C | 30–90 s | It is recommended to combine with filling sterilization treatment |
★Inspection and warehousing: After labeling and quality inspection, qualified products can enter the market.
I hope this article can help you establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of fruit juice pasteurization. If you have any questions or insights, please feel free to leave a message in the comment section for discussion!
