Steam is a most ideal gas as it is non toxic, it is cheap and there is unlimited supply. Steam offers the following advantages:
Advantages
- Fastest possible way of product heating to an exact preset temperature.
- Steam condenses on the product and provides the water activity required for effective sterilization while the steam that condensed on the product surface will protect the product against burning.
- The steam condensed on the product enables flash cooling of the product when it leaves the sterilizer via a self-cleaning rotary discharge valve and meets a large flow of sterile air in the fluid bed dryer/cooler, to evaporate spontaneously.
- Hence the system concept complies with the condition that the product is subjected to the minimum heat load for adequate decontamination with a minimum adverse effect on flavor, color and loss of volatile oil.
