INTRODUCTION

Under the category of special milk are include

those processed milk products which physically resemble
and behave like liquid milk, one among this processed milk
product is sterilized milk.
Sterilization is a unit operation where food are heated
sufficiently at high temperature and for long time to destroy
microbial and enzyme activity.
Sterilized milk may be defined as milk which has been
heated to a temperature of 100 C or above for a period of
time that it remain fit for human consumption for at least 7
days at room temperature and it is heated in such a way that
it’s color and flavor will remain as normal milk
STERILIZED MILK
FSSA definition
The term “sterilization” when used
in association with milk, means
heating milk in sealed container
continuously to a temperature of either
115 degree Celsius for 15 minutes or
at least 130 degree Celsius for a
period of 1 second or more in a
continuous flow and then packed
under aseptic condition in hermetically
sealed containers to ensure
preservation at room temperature for
a period not less than 15 days from
the date of manufacture

 
ADVANTAGES OF STERILIZED MILK

(i)           Remarkable keeping quality does not need refiregarated

storage
(ii)          No cream layer formation
(iii) It useful for feeding of infants
(iv)         Distinction rich  flavor (due to homogenization)
(v)          Economical to use
(vi)         Less liable to develop oxidized taints.
 DISVANTAGES OF STERILIZED MILK
• (i)  increased cost of production.
• (ii)  More loss in nutritive value than pasteurization.
• (iii) Gerber test by normal procedure not so accurate.

REQUIREMENTS
• (i)  Keep without deterioration, i.e., remain stable and be of
good commercial value for a sufficient period to satisfy
commercial requirement
• (ii)  Be free of any micro-organisms harmful to consumer
health, i.e., pathogens and toxins
 IN BOTTLE STERILIZATION
• Flow sheet :
Receiving milk
↓
Cooling to 5°C bulk storage
↓
Pre-heating(35-40ºC)
↓
Filtration / Clarification
↓
Cooling to 5ºC
↓
Standardizing & storage (5ºC)
↓
 ↓

Pre-heating(60ºC)
↓
Homogenization(2500 psi)(60ºC)
↓
Clarification (60ºC)
↓
Filling & Capping(in cleaned & Sterilized bottle)
↓
Sterilization(110º-120ºC for 25-30 min)
↓
Cooling (at room temp)
↓
Storage (at room temp)
RECEIVING MILK
 The raw milk, on receipt, should be strictly examined by the
physic-chemical and bacteriological test and only high quality
milk should be used for production of sterilized milk.
  Accept milk supplies which have no developed acidity
COOLING TO 5°C & BULK STORAGE
  The intake milk should be promptly cooled to 5°C for bulk
storage in order to check any bacterial growth.
PREHEATING FOLLOWED BY FILTRATION &
CLARIFICATION
   Next, it should be pre heated to 35-40°C for efficient
filtration/ clarification, so as to remove visible dirt, etc., and to
increase its aesthetic quality
COOLING TO 5°C
  The milk should again be cooled to 5°C so as to
preserve its quality.
STANDARDIZING & STORAGE
  It should then be standardized to the prescribed percentage
of fat and solids-not-fat content in order to conform to legal
standards. 
  It must be stored at 5°C until processing.
PRE-HEATING
  The milk should be promptly pre heated to 60°C for efficient
homogenization to prevent any subsequent formation of a
cream layer.
HOMOGENIZATION & CLARIFICATION
 Usually single-stage homogenization is carried out at 2500 psi
pressure.
  The homogenized milk must be clarified so as to remove the
sediment formed during the homogenization process.
FILLING & CAPPING
 The hot milk from the homogenizer should be filled into the
cleaned and sanitized bottle coming from the bottle washing
machine and then sealed with special caps.
STERILIZATION
  The filled and capped bottles should then be placed in metal
crates for sterilization by the batch process, or fed into
conveyors for the continuous process.
  Usually the milk is sterilized at 108-111°C for 25-35 minutes. 
COOLING
  The sterilized milk bottles should be gradually cooled to room
temperature. 
  Any sudden cooling may led to bottle breakage. 
STORAGE
  Finally the milk-in-bottles should be stored in a cool place

Fig: Milk in-bottle sterilization

 TYPES OF IN-BOTTLE STERILIZERS
The sterilizers used for in bottle
sterilizers are :
Fig: Rotary Batch Sterilizer
1)  Batch Sterilizers
These may either be rotary or
non-rotary in type. The batch
sterilizers are rectangular,
horizontal, boiler shaped retorts
with a steam inlet and
condensate outlet, fitted with
clamp-down covers, into which
steam is adjusted for the
required temperature and time
for sterilization.
 In the batch-rotary type, the filled bottles are put in to holders
which are rotated at 6-7 rpm. The sterilized milk is of a slightly
better quality in rotary-type sterilizers than in non-rotary ones.

Advantages
 Simplicity and flexibility of operation.
 Less initial capital and recurring expenditure.
Disadvantages
o  Usually produces a brownish appearance and cooked taste
in the finished product.
o Sterilization may be faulty.
o Cooling has to be slow to avoid breakage.
2) Continuous
sterilizers
In this type, the filled
and sealed milk bottles are
automatically placed by Fig : Continuous rotary sterilizer
means of a slat conveyor in
to the pockets of carrier
cages. They then passed into
water at or near boiling
temperature; from there, they
enter the sterilizing zone,
which consists of a steam
chamber at 108-111°C. Here
the bottles remain for a pre-
determined time, viz., 25-30
minutes, for milk sterilization
 COOLING
 In Batch Sterilizer :
After heat treatment in the batch/tank sterilizers, the
milk bottles may be cooled in air or water. If cooling is too
rapid, the bottles may crack; if too slow, there is a danger of
browning due to caramelization. 
 In Continuous Sterilizer
 In this, after leaving the sterilizing zone, the bottles
enter a column of water where the cooling process begins.
This is followed by their passage through another tank of
water for further cooling, and lastly through a shallow tank of
cold water for final cooling.The bottles are then automatically
discharged.
 ULTRA HIGH TEMPERATURE
STERILIZATION
FLOW SHEET
Receiving milk
↓
Cooling to 5°C & bulk storage
↓
Pre-heating (35°-40°C)
↓
Filtration / Clarification
↓
Cooling to 5°C
↓
Standardization & storage (5°C)
↓
 ↓
Pre-heating (60°C)
↓
Homogenization (2500psi) (60°C)
↓
Clarification (60°C)
↓
Sterilization (130°-150°C /1-20 seconds)
↓
Rapid cooling
↓
Aseptic packaging
↓
Storage (at room temperature)
  UHT or aseptic processing involves the production of a
commercially sterile product by pumping the product through
a heat exchanger.
 To ensure a long shelf life the sterile product is packed into
pre-sterilized containers in a sterile environment.
  An airtight seal is formed, which prevents re-infection, in
order to provide a shelf life of at least three months at ambient
temperature. 
 The use of higher temperatures for shorter times will result in
less chemical damage to important nutrients and functional
ingredients 
STERILIZATION
 In these processes, the milk is heated to 135-150°C for a
few seconds, generally in a plate or tubular heat-exchanger.
ASCEPTIC PACKING
  The milk, which is then almost sterile, has to be filled into
containers for distributions; the filling has to be done
aseptically.
 It is necessary to prevent re-infection by packaging the
product in previously sterilized packaging materials under
aseptic conditions after heat treatment
 TYPES OF UHT STERILIZER
There are two main types of UHT systems :
1) Direct UHT plants
In the direct systems the product comes in direct contact
with the heating medium, followed by flash cooling in a
vacuum vessel and eventually further indirect cooling to
packaging temperature.

The direct systems are divided into:

a) Steam injection systems (steam injected into product)
b) Steam infusion systems (product introduced into a steam-
filled vessel)
Fig : Steam Injection and Infusion
 UHT processing means commercial sterility to ensure food
safety and long shelf life at ambient temperature. It entails
heating the product to a specific temperature for a specific
length of time.
 The higher the temperature, the shorter the time required to
destroy micro-organisms.
 The more rapidly the product can be heated and then
subsequently cooled down again, the less impact the process
has on the chemical changes in the product, such as changes
in taste, color and even to some extent, nutritional value.
 The most effective way of achieving rapid heating is to mix
high temperature steam directly with the product, followed by
flash cooling in a vacuum vessel. This is called a direct
system.
2)Indirect UHT plants
   The most cost-effective method of UHT processing is indirect
heating – a heating method in which the processed product never
comes into direct contact with the heating medium. There is
always a wall in between. This technique applies to all types of
heat exchangers.
 In the indirect systems the heat is transferred from the heating
media to the product through a partition (plate or tubular wall).
  Indirect UHT plants are a suitable choice for processing of milk,
flavoured milk products, cream, dairy desserts, and other non-
dairy applications, such as juices and tea.
 The indirect systems can be based on:
a) Plate heat exchangers
b) Tubular heat exchangers
c) Scraped surface heat exchangers
• Indirect UHT plant based on plate heat exchangers
This process solution is appropriate for products such as coffee, cream and
evaporated concentrated milk.
• Indirect UHT plant based on tubular heat exchangers
A tubular system is chosen for UHT treatment of products with low or
medium viscosity that may or may not contain particles or fibres.
  Tubular systems are also frequently utilised when longer processing times
are required for ordinary market milk products.
 • Indirect UHT plant based on scraped surface heat exchangers
Scraped surface heat exchangers are the most suitable
type for treatment of high-viscosity food products with or
without particles.

Fig : Indirect
UHT sterilizer
 LOSS OF NUTRIENTS DURING
STERILIZATION
  In-bottle sterilized milk shows a somewhat greater loss of
nutritive value. Of special importance are the decrease of
available lysine and the total or partial loss of some vitamins.
  Maillard reactions are responsible for the partial loss of
lysine. They occur to some extent in UHT-sterilized milk
during storage and in in-bottle sterilized milk during heating.
 The losses of vitamins concentrations do not decrease in
sterilized milk.
 Loss of vitamins during storage can largely be avoided if O2 is
excluded. Vitamins C and B9 may completely disappear
within a few days if much O2 is present
 CONCLUSION

Sterilization of the product is achieved by rapid heating to

required high temperature, holding it for few seconds followed
by rapid cooling. Ideally, heating and cooling should be as
quick as possible. UHT products are in a good position to be
able to improve the quality image of heat-processed, ambient
stable food.
Sterilization of milk is classified into two in bottle sterilization
and UHT sterilization.In bottle batch and continuous type and
UHT direct and indirect type.
 REFERENCE
 www.sciencedirect.com › topics › sterilized-milk
 www.dairyknowledge.in › article › sterilization
 ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in 
 https://alchetron.com/Ultra-high-temperature-processing
 http://www.skylarkpune.com/bottle-steriliser.html