An organization needs to understand the advantages and disadvantages of all kinds of sterilizers, be it Safesteril Steam Sterilizer (Safesteril Sterilizer was developed and patented by ETIA, a French engineering company founded in 1989) or any other make and technology of Sterilizers, so that your team can make an informed purchase decision.
The components of the selection process of Typical Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) are packaging type, product type, product flexibility needs, product life cycle, timing to market requirements, and size of the overall investment.
In this blog post, we will discuss the differences between Safesteril Steam Sterilizer and Other Sterilizers. But before proceeding further, let’s have a look at the basics.
What Is Steam Sterilization and Why steam is so Important?
Steam sterilization is the cost-effective process of exposing each item like seasoning spices, powders of herbs and spices or minerals to direct the steam contact at the required pressure and temperature for a specific time. During sterilization these items are directly exposed to steam at required baseline treatment temperature pressures for a specific time duration.
Differentiating the parameters of sterilization, we have four basic parameters to attend namely, steam, time, temperature, and pressure. All these parameters play a significant role in steam sterilization.
The steam actually penetrates inside the material, and reduces the microbial loads with direct hit, simultaneously, the extra steam is taken out through steam exhaust, making less use of steam and its aftereffects on material at product specific treatment temperature. This treatment temperature is an equilibrium between the material and steam both at same temperature. For this material also need to be heated, here we have domination above others with our patented Spirajoule for preheating and post drying application, thus reducing the steam pressure and quantity of steam used.
What Is Safesteril Steam Sterilizer?
Safesteril, as the name suggest, is safe sterilization, due to non-usage of any harmful, chemicals / radiations, and use of steam, which is also taken off by the end of process, with Here we reach very high temperature in small time and use minimum steam for sterilization of material, without product being cooked or with least change of colour or other organoleptic properties. This system can reduce almost all TPC, pathogens, microbes, bacteria, and spores with single pass, for spores it is a special process of controlling their count. Therefore, as name suggest, Safesteril steam sterilizer is flexible to the needs of both pasteurization and sterilization, roasting, toasting and blanching from same system, for which you may require multiple systems.
Difference Between Safesteril Steam Sterilizer and Other Sterilizers
What is the major distinction between Safesteril Steam Sterilizer and Other Sterilizers?
Technology Used
The technology of Safesteril Sterilizer is based on a distinct and patented blend of an electrically heated, shaftless, patented conveyor called Spirajoule, for preheating and post drying of sterilizing material, thereby using minimum steam, this reduces the risk of product cooking, or least change of colour. Since there is no residue of even steam in final product, this Sterilizer equipment uses the safest technology to kill or deactivate microbes/ pathogens/ bacteria/spores / TPC etc… Hence, it provides us the most acceptable, sterilized powders or whole grains, powder spices and herbs, seed spices, and whole herbs less than 30-25mm at feed, it also does roasting, toasting, and blanching etc. most appropriate for all human or pet animal consumptions.
On the other hand, other steam sterilization uses traditional technologies to diffuse gases like Ethylene Oxide for sterilization (ETO), which leaves harmful residues in treated food stuffs, if they use microwave, or other infrared technologies, there is residue of that radiation which makes it unsafe for our human or pet animal consumptions. Some of the other steam sterilizers in market, who do not use ETO or Radiations, uses vacuum or non-continuous steam insertion at high pressure and temperature, this may treat the material, as steam is playing the vital role of killing, for highly contaminated products, above 3 log reduction, the aftereffects of these systems is not always welcoming, color and odor is drastically changed for more than 3 log reductions. Thereby making the feedstock carcinogenic.
Operational summary of Safesteril Steam Sterilizers
Safesteril Sterilizers patented Spirajoule technology preheats the powders and whole herbs, spices, grains, or nut powders (below 20-25mm size) at 70 to 90 degrees Celsius or above by joules effect. The steam disinfection is then used in form of either saturated / super-heated/ or no steam (utilizing product own moisture for sterilization, where we require very less moisture in final sterilized product and inlet moisture is 10% what is maximum for Safesteril Sterilizers). It is heated in such a way that there is minimal changes in the color, flavor, and moisture of the grains, spices, nuts or powders.
On the contrary, the other steam sterilizers use steam to preheat the materials at a treatment equilibrium temperature of 70 to 110 degrees Celsius. The steam pressure and temperature are very high in comparison of incoming material at room temperature, so steam quantity and its pressure is increased for the treatment at a temperature of 70-120, with steam temperature 30-60 Degree higher then treatment temperature. This process changes the organoleptic properties of the material like flavor, color, and moisture, which is not desired in the final product.
Flash Cooling
In a Safesteril steam sterilizer, the patented continuous UPX flash cooling system, which uses indirect chilled water cooling and direct chilled dehumidified air cooling in specially designed non pressurised cooling chamber with exhaust arrangement for providing a shock treatment after Spirajoule. It gives a sudden cooling effect to the hot material and simultaneously regulates its outlet moisture levels according to the inlet parameters.
In other sterilizers, there is no cooling in batch processing. The material is left to cool down at room temperature, which condenses the steam in foods. It makes the food unhealthy again. it may take a long time to cool and so more moisture can get removed, causing losses.
Material Rejection Diversion Facility
With a PLC controlled, Go-No go arrangement with transfer / bypass screw, we are able to bypass untreated material for re-sterilization, this is based on various utilities and time parameters, which are seen and graphed by PLC system, whenever there is change it bypass the material or else send it for UPX cooler for packaging.
In case of mistreatment in other sterilizers, there is no check point in system software to rerun the untreated batch which makes it impossible for partial checking before dispatches.
Flexibility Of Time
Time is flexible in Safesteril steam sterilizers. This flexibility helps to alter the processing time based on the inlet pathogen load and outlet TPC requirement. A short sample test is conducted to do so, thanks to VFD speed control at each section, and software on PLC based control panel.
Collateral Cooling with Chilled Water and Dehydrated chilled air
The patented UPX design of the Safe- sterile Steam Sterilizers uses dehumidified chilled air and uniquely designed chilled water in the outer jacket and inside patented hollow shaft screw in UPX. It assists in further reduction of the quick cooling time.
On the other hand, this feature is not available in other sterilizers.
Cooking effect
The most important care to take while sterilizing any consumable product is to avoid the cooking effect, which happens for more steam at high pressure and for more time. In Safesteril, with less steam usage, material does not get through the cooking effect.
However, for a steam-based batch processes, many times material is cooked.
Conclusion
The Safesteril steam sterilization uses safest and more secured system with minimum steam with maximum control parameters to reduce or increase the treatment of different products with different microbial loads.
We shall request you to contact us in case you wish more details on any part in this blog or have some requirements of sterilization of your products and needs clarifications on what are the technologies available and what you may use for your products.