Pasteurization and Blanching

Abstract

Two processes that utilize relatively mild thermal treatments to achieve the desired rlesults are pasteurization and blanching. Both processes apply thermal treatment to food products in an effort to improve the stability of the product during storage. Although the magnitude of the thermal processes is similar, application of the processes involves two distinctly different types of food products. Pasteurization is most often associated with liquid foods, while blanching is most often associated with solid foods. The magnitude of thermal treatment used for both processes is not sufficient to establish storage stability at room temperature. The criteria utilized in establishing these modest thermal treatments are rather specific and are different for different food commodities.