Heat processing of packaged foods: guidelines for establishing the thermal process

Ensure that your products receive an adequate heat process and that their safety and quality is optimised. Decisions on heat processing regimes are required for all new products, as well those in which there has been a change in formulation, manufacturing procedures or packaging type or shape. Routine checks on established lines are also good practice. This guideline addresses these issues, by focusing on the selection of heat process values, heat transfer characteristics, methods of evaluating processes and critical factors to consider when developing a heat processing regime.