You may have questions about using culinary steam in your production process, how it might affect your product, or be concerned that you are adding too much water to your process. A standard in most food plants, culinary steam is safe for food, and it can be used to blanch, rehydrate, and sterilize food products. Hydro-Thermal is the leader of proven direct steam injection (DSI) technology, which includes culinary steam. The following five questions and answers will help address concerns about consumable culinary steam.

What Makes Steam Culinary?

Any time steam enters a production system, it must go through a complete filtration system. 3-A guidelines require steam filtering to use a maximum particle size of 5 microns.

Boilers utilize pH adjustment, oxygen scavenging, and descaling chemicals for processing needs. Any chemicals integrated into the process must be FDA food-grade and conform to the approved list of boiler chemicals. These chemicals do not travel with steam and stay in the boiler because their boiling points are much higher than water.

For example, amines are chemicals commonly used to keep condensate returns clean and corrosion-free. But since this chemical is not food-grade, it cannot be used in systems requiring culinary steam.

Is Steam Cooking in Food a Common Practice?

In short – yes. The world’s largest companies utilize steam and Hydro-Thermal’s patented DSI products in their product processing. Hydro-Thermal’s heating systems help facilities process meat, produce soups, sauces, fruit products, baby food, tomato paste/sauces, dairy, milk, cheese, vegetables, and much more.

How Is My Product Formulation Affected by Adding Steam?

Steam is sterile water, so it does not alter the product’s taste and can be added to the existing water already captured on an ingredient statement. Many food and beverage companies already incorporate steam in their processing systems without issues, and in most cases, the product results in better quality, texture, and taste.

How Much Water Is Added During Steam Cooking?

The general rule of thumb is 1% water for every 10° temperature rise. Since variables like composition and specific heat vary from product to product, the average addition is 8-12% water, yet it can be above or below, depending on the application.

The 8-12% addition of water can occur if Hydro-Thermal equipment thoroughly cooks the product – this percentage can be significantly lower if the equipment is only heating, not boiling, the product. Our staff of Engineers can calculate the exact rate based on specific processing conditions to ensure our DSI technology can best optimize your needs.

Are Hydro-Thermal Products Certified?

Our Hydron™ Sanitary Hydroheater, Infuze™ Cooking System, and SilverLine™ products are all 3-A certified. The Infuze Cooking Skid and SilverLine are designed to meet FDA, CE, and EHEDG standards.

Our 3-A certified sanitary systems directly infuse culinary steam into the food, gently and efficiently cooking it and bringing it to its desired temperature. This allows 100% of the steam’s energy to transfer to the food, which both kettles and heat exchangers cannot offer (80% – 85% energy transfer).

Conclusion

Hydro-Thermal’s patented food and beverage processing systems integrate steam into processed foods and beverages while delivering precise, consistent temperature control, instantaneous heating, and no scaling or fouling of the product in both batch and continuous cooking methods. Our ‘plug and play’ heaters hook directly into a plant through steam connection piping, making for a smaller footprint. For Hydro-Thermal to help improve your production output, we need to know your process conditions and plant setup to create the best design for your requirements. Please fill out this form or contact us here.

For an overview of all of Hydro-Thermal’s products, click here.

Temperature Control in Aseptic Tomato Paste Processing

Aseptic processing is vital to the food industry, particularly tomato paste production. This process involves sterilizing the tomato paste and packaging it in a sterile environment to prevent bacterial growth and increase shelf life.

To achieve this, the tomato paste is heated to elevated temperatures, typically above 212°F (100°C), which can destroy bacteria and other microorganisms. However, the precise nature of temperature control is critical in aseptic processing, as both overheating and underheating can lead to product spoilage, reduced quality, and compromised food safety.

Choosing a Heater for Aseptic Processing

In aseptic tomato paste processing, the challenge is to heat the paste to elevated temperatures without compromising product quality or food safety. If the paste is not heated correctly, it can spoil, leading to waste and lost revenue.

Two main technology options for heating are direct steam injection (DSI) or heat exchangers. While both options can heat tomato paste, they do so in different ways.

Hydro-Thermal’s Solaris® Hydroheater injects steam directly into the tomato paste through patented diffuser technology, producing quick and efficient heating cycles. DSI technology provides precise temperature control and energy-efficiency operating conditions, a critical element for aseptic processing. Plus, with its compact design, installing the Solaris helps save valuable floor space.

In contrast, a heat exchanger transfers heat from a hot fluid to a cold fluid, inefficiently and indirectly heating the tomato paste. In addition, heat exchangers often have larger footprints and require more maintenance than direct steam injection heaters, creating issues with fouling, reduced product efficiency, and increased downtime.

While both solutions are typically considered for installation, the end user must decide which heater is best for their aseptic tomato paste processing needs. The Solaris is often preferred because of its precise temperature control, energy efficiency, and compact design.

Conclusion

Temperature control is critical in aseptic tomato paste processing. Hydro-Thermal’s Solaris Hydroheater can help ensure precise and consistent heating, resulting in high-quality, safe, and shelf-stable tomato paste and heat exchangers having trouble producing.

Struggling to capture maximum permeate yield during cheese production, one of the most critical factors to consider is temperature control.

Permeate, also known as cheese whey, is a valuable by-product created during cheese-making, as the liquid is separated from the solids during cheese production. Permeate comprises water, lactose, and minerals and is an essential ingredient in many food products.

One common usage of permeate – it can be used to replace water in the cheese-making process. By doing so, cheese producers can improve the yield and quality of their cheese products, resulting in cost savings and increased profitability.

Permeate is also a valuable source of whey protein concentrate (WPC), used in various food products such as protein bars, nutritional supplements, and sports drinks. WPC is a high-quality protein easily absorbed by the body, making it an ideal ingredient for health-conscious consumers. Whey is a rich source of protein and minerals, making it an excellent ingredient for animal feed. In addition, dairy farmers often mix permeate with other feed ingredients to provide their livestock with a nutritious and cost-effective diet.

Capturing the maximum amount of permeate requires careful attention to temperature control during the heating process. Therefore, cheese producers need a better solution for their heating system. Heating systems like heat exchangers produce inconsistent products, while direct steam injection (DSI) heating systems outperform other heating solutions, including maximizing permeate yield.

Why is Temperature Control Important for Permeate Capture?

Temperature control is critical for capturing permeate because it affects the separation of the solids from the liquid. If the temperature is too high, the proteins in the milk can coagulate too quickly, preventing the separation of solids and liquids. If the temperature is too low, the separation process can be slowed down or fail to complete, resulting in a low permeate yield and low-quality cheese.

Why is Direct Steam Injection the Best Heating Solution for Cheese Production?

Direct Steam Injection heating advantages have been recognized by the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI). This dairy industry trade association advocates for the interests of the United States dairy manufacturers, marketers, and suppliers. Hydro-Thermal was awarded the ADPI/Dairy Foods Breakthrough Award for the Hydron™ Sanitary Hydroheater, an innovative heating solution used in the dairy industry for maximizing permeate yield during cheese production. The award was accepted by Ed Faulks, Hydro-Thermal’s Dairy Expert, during the ADPI/ABI Annual Conference last month.

The Hydron™ Sanitary Hydroheater is the best heating solution for cheese production because it supplies precise and instant temperature control every time. Steam is injected directly into the milk with this heating solution, allowing rapid heating and exact temperature control. This process also prevents hot spots and product burn-on, ensuring consistent product quality and a higher permeate yield.

The 3-A certified Hydron™ Sanitary Hydroheater is designed for fast and precise temperature control without any degradation in quality. Its fully CIP-able capabilities allow for easy maintenance and cooking of thick mashes and sauces with ultra-precise temperature control without any burn-on. The Hydron’s unique internal geometry controls the steam injection process, and its variable-area nozzle/stem plug regulates steam flow for 100% heat transfer efficiency and precise temperature control. This eliminates hammering and vibration often experienced with less sophisticated heaters, like heat exchangers.

These optimized production characteristics result in inconsistent batches, a great-tasting product, and a bacteria-free environment.

Other Heating Systems Consistently Fall Short

Heat exchangers are a type of heating system typically used in cheese production. Less effective than DSI technology for temperature control and permeate capture, heat exchangers transfer heat from one medium to another (from hot water to milk) slower and less precisely than DSI technology, which frequently results in uneven heating and lower permeate yield. Heat exchangers are also challenging to clean, increasing the risk of contamination and lowering product quality.

Conclusion

The easiest way to maximize permeate yield in cheese production is to use DSI technology. Proper temperature control during the heating process is one of the most critical factors for achieving this goal. DSI heating solutions help accomplish this because they offer precise and instant temperature control, preventing hot spots and product burn-on while ensuring consistent product quality and higher permeate yield.

An ammunition facility enlisted Hydro-Thermal to design a customized skidded system tailored to their needs, including explosion-proof equipment. Our certified Engineering and Assembly teams collaborated closely to ensure all elements met the facility’s stringent standards. This involved the complex task of creating robust housing for the controls and integrating specialized XP instrumentation, which necessitated the expertise of a licensed electrician with XP endorsements for wiring. Due to these requirements, we subcontracted the wiring, which included installing a specialized neoprene-coated conduit.

The system is intended for environments where specific gases and flammable dust are common. Therefore, every component on the skid, including the panel, instrumentation, and wiring, was carefully chosen for its explosion-proof rating. The panel, made of cast aluminum, includes special switches and gaskets to prevent the entry of gases and dust from the facility and to withstand explosions if they occur. Similarly, the skid components, such as the flow switch, temperature transmitters, steam on/off valve, and heater positioner, were selected for their explosion-proof qualities.

The wiring method is also tailored for use in an explosive environment, with seals containing a sealing compound that prevents explosive gases or dust from infiltrating the connections.

Ready to learn more? Contact one of our heating experts at info@hydro-thermal.com or contact us here.