4. Qualification of sterilization equipment

4.1 Heat-treated products in their packaging

Sterilization or pasteurization equipment must ensure that each product receives the desired heat treatment, whatever its location in the heat treatment chamber (or its path, for continuous sterilizers or pasteurizers). Homogeneous heat distribution avoids variations in product cooking depending on its location in the sterilization chamber.

Thermal mapping of the sterilization chamber enables precise analysis of this heat distribution and location of cold spots in discontinuous chambers, or determination of the critical process applied to the product in continuous sterilization. The established scale must ensure that the desired sterilizing or pasteurizing value is obtained at the critical point of a product located...