[PERSPECTIVE]
by Ricardo Simpson, Sergio Almonacid, Alik Abakarov,
To Heat or Not To Heat
W
ith the advent of nonther-
mal processing methods,
heat is now being por-
trayed as the root of all food
processing evils. Numerous stud-
ies extol the virtues of nonthermal
processing methods in retaining
valuable quality attributes and
bioactive components—and
attribute all negatives to the role
of heat. A trait of many such stud-
ies is a comparison between a
mild nonthermal process and a
needlessly severe thermal pro-
cess, followed typically by a
In our view, the real problem with conventional thermal
processes is the need for improved methods of heat transfer.
declaration of victory for the non-
thermal process. Are such
comparisons valid? Is heat truly
the villain of food processing? We
think it is time for a more detailed
examination of the questions.
Although the scientific com-
munity has intrinsically assumed
that heat always has a significant
detrimental effect on product qual-
ity, our conceptual analysis aims to
demonstrate that heat could be an
effective way not only to produce
safe, but also high-quality, food
products. Strictly speaking, not all
thermally processed foods are of
low or poor quality.
A rare but interesting excep-
tion is ultra-high-temperature
(UHT) processed milk. UHT milk is
commonly exposed to tempera-
tures of 145–150°C for a few
seconds, resulting in a microbio-
logically safe product with very
high quality. Experimental analysis
pg 88 04.10 • www.ift.org
Alejandra Urtubia, and Sudhir Sastry
and simple calculations show that
labile vitamins, such as thiamine,
retain more than 99.9% of their
micronutrients, reflecting that, in
this specific application, thermal
processing is very effective in
inactivating microorganisms and
almost imperceptible in terms of
quality deterioration.
Truly, temperature is very
effective in inactivating microor-
ganisms and enzymes, whereas
purely nonthermal methods are
unable to deliver these benefits.
Indeed, the value of heat has been
recognized with the advent of
Pressure-Assisted Thermal
Processing (PATP), where the
pressure is used to manage heat
input to the product, resulting in
sterility with a markedly lower
thermal process than conventional
heat transfer-limited methods.
In our view, the real problem
with conventional thermal pro-
cesses is the need for improved
methods of heat transfer. Thus,
the aim of research studies could
use creative approaches to speed
up the heat transfer or, at least,
heating up the food product while
maintaining quality. Actual solu-
tions include: a) for liquids, quick
heating as with UHT milk, and b)
for solid foods, slow heating as
performed in sous vide (under
vacuum) products.
Although sous vide products
are high quality, they are not truly
sterilized products and, also, the
process is too long (sometimes
more than 24 hr) and needs strict
refrigeration after processing.
Conceptually, sous vide process-
ing is effective in preserving
quality because the processing
temperature is low (~60°C) and it
avoids temperature gradients that
normally cause severe surface
deterioration. Computer-assisted
studies reveal that sous vide pro-
cessing time could be significantly
reduced and its quality improved if
the time-temperature of the heat-
ing bath is accurately scheduled
through an optimization technique.
Improved packaging options
are another example of how heat
transfer efficiency is critical to
improve product quality. No mat-
ter what kind of food is being
sterilized, when packed in retort
flexible pouches, it is of superior
quality in comparison to food
packaged in conventional metal
cans, which must be cooked
approximately twice as long.
Nevertheless, the problem
persists: how to efficiently sterilize
solid foods via a thermal process
that achieves both safety and high
quality? Most of the research done
in the past 15 years has been
focused on replacing heating/
temperature as the direct medium
to inactivate microorganisms. This
has been beneficial, as we now
have a better understanding of the
hardiness of bacterial spore form-
ers, and the role of various
nonthermal stresses on bacteria,
yeast, and molds. Still, after spend-
ing much time, research, and
resources looking for alternative
processes, scientists accidentally
have discovered and patented
PATP, which speeds up the temper-
ature rise and fall for solid foods,
resulting in a very high quality ster-
ile end-product. Although pressure
plays a significant role over certain
temperature ranges, in effect, the
solution is an improved method for
delivery of heat.
Interestingly, sous vide pro-
cessing was developed by a
chef—accidentally—and now
sterilization assisted by high-
pressure processing has been
discovered accidentally, too. In
the latter, the research objective
was to replace temperature as a
way to inactivate microorgan-
isms, rather than improve heat
transfer. In our view, these “fortu-
nate” accidents—at a high
price—have occurred because
scientists have been attracted by
the Holy Grail of a true nonthermal
method, while eventually stum-
bling on a solution—a way to
improve the delivery of heat. FT
Ricardo Simpson (ricardo.simpson@usm.cl), a
Professional member of IFT, is Associate
Professor, Sergio Almonacid (sergio.almona-
cid@usm.cl), a member of IFT, is Associate
Professor, Alik Abakarov (alik.abakarov@usm.
cl), is Associate Professor, and Alejandra
Urtubia is a Researcher, Dept. of Chemical,
Biotechnological, and Environmental
Processes, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa
María, Valparaiso, Chile. Sudhir Sastry (sas-
try.2@osu.edu), a Professional member of IFT,
is Professor, Dept. of Food, Agricultural, and
Biological Engineering, Ohio State Univ.
Simpson is grateful for the financial support
through the FONDECYT Project No. 1090628.