Studies on the Optimal Sterilization Conditions of Red Pepper Paste Packed in Retort Pouch.

레토르트 파우치 고추장의 적정 고온 살균조건에 관한 연구

Heating characteristics of red pepper paste packed in report pouches of various thicknesses and their storage stability were investigated to determine the adequate processing conditions that good bacteriological safty and minimal quality changes could be obtained, when sterilized by using a steam-air system retort. A heat penetration into pouch-packed red pepper paste was carried out through by a conductive heat transfer, indicating a simple logarithmic heating curve, and the smaller thickness revealed the higher heat penetration rate, suggesting the possibility of high temperature-short time sterilization of red pepper paste. The processing conditions with Fo-value of 4.5 or higher were sufficient for keeping up bacterial safty, but based on C-value, better quality retention was obtained at pouch thickness of 15mm under the processing temperature of $120^{\circ}C$. Subsequent storage study revealed that the red pepper paste packed in 15mm and processed at $120^{\circ}C$ with Fo=4.5 could be held without any spoilage and overall acceptance change, when stored for 6 months at room temperature under the relative humidity of 70%. After 3 months storage in $38^{\circ}C$ under saturation humidity, overall acceptance of red pepper paste were judged not to be maintainable on the acceptable level, but it may be suggested that above the results could be kept up a desirable quality without any remarkable deterioration.