New technology for pasteurisation and homogenisation

Europe's food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the EU; however, it is beginning to lose its share of the market to emerging economies. Therefore, a way must be found to improve competitiveness while retaining the nutritional content and quality of the food.

The FCHR (Fluid foods pasteurizer and homogenizer based on centrifugal hydrocavitation reactor) project set out to perform pasteurisation and homogenisation in a single, scalable process based on mechanical means. This process stage in the treatment of food gives improved product stability, shelf life, digestion and taste.

The initiative's aim was to substitute thermal pasteurisation with hydrodynamic cavitation. This process can be conducted at a lower temperature while maintaining the look and taste of the milk currently on the market. Other goals included reducing processing costs, but increasing energy efficiency in the pasteurising and homogenising process.

Hydrodynamic cavitation can be applied to a fluid, which undergoes changes in pressure, inducing the formation of microbubbles by high-intensity sound (cavitation). When these bubbles implode they release huge amounts of energy in the form of shock waves.

Project partners designed and tested the centrifugal hydrocavitator reactor (CHR) that comprised the core of the proposed pasteurisation and homogenisation plant. The work focused on scalability, energy savings and efficiency, along with increased quality and digestive ease of the product.

The FCHR technology can be potentially applied to all fluid foods in which pasteurisation and homogenisation are required, including dairy products, flavouring emulsions, fruit juices, vegetable puree, egg yolks, sauces and baby formula.