A milk pasteurizer is a device that uses pasteurization to sterilize food. The principle of pasteurization is to kill pathogens in food within a certain temperature range through appropriate temperature and holding time, while preserving a small number of harmless or beneficial bacteria or bacterial spores.

The principle of sterilization is that within a certain temperature range, the lower the temperature, the slower the bacterial reproduction; the higher the temperature, the faster the reproduction. However, if the temperature is too high, the bacteria will die. Different bacteria have different optimal growth temperatures and different heat and cold resistance. Pasteurization essentially utilizes the fact that pathogens are not very heat-resistant, using appropriate temperature and holding time to kill them all. However, even after pasteurization, a small number of harmless or beneficial, heat-resistant bacteria or bacterial spores are still retained.

The core task of a fresh milk pasteurization machine is to heat and cool the product under precisely controlled temperature and time. For liquid products (such as milk and juice): this is mainly achieved through a plate heat exchanger. Driven by a pump, the material sequentially passes through preheating, heating and sterilization, heat preservation, and cooling stages. The system precisely controls the temperature and automatically “recirculates” products that have not reached the sterilization temperature for further processing, ensuring that the final product meets standards.

Working principle and process

1. Preheating (Regeneration Section): Cold raw materials first enter the regeneration section of the plate heat exchanger. Here, they are preheated by the sterilized hot material just exiting the insulated pipe. This step recovers most of the heat, resulting in a heat recovery rate of 94%-95%, which is very energy-efficient.
2. Heating (Heating Section): The preheated material enters the heating section, where hot water (or steam) rapidly heats it to the set pasteurization temperature (usually between 72-95°C).
3. Insulation (Insulation Pipe): The heated material enters a specific length of insulated pipe, ensuring it remains at the sterilization temperature for a sufficient time (usually 15-30 seconds) to complete sterilization.
4. Cooling (Cooling Section): The insulated material returns to the regeneration section of the heat exchanger, transferring its heat to the cold material for precooling. It then enters the cooling section, where cooling water (or ice water) rapidly cools it to an outlet temperature of approximately 5°C to maximize product freshness.
5. Reflux Control: The system monitors the temperature throughout the entire process. If the final discharge temperature does not meet the standard, the diversion valve will automatically “return” the material to the balance tank for reprocessing, ensuring that only qualified products can proceed to the next process.

• Freshness-Locking Technology, Quality Assurance: Employing pasteurization at temperatures below 100℃ with temperature control accuracy of ±1℃, this method effectively sterilizes while maintaining the original flavor and nutritional value of fresh milk, resulting in a superior taste compared to products sterilized at high temperatures.
• Superior Materials, Durable: The entire machine is constructed from food-grade SUS304/SUS316 stainless steel, with finely polished inner walls. It is corrosion-resistant, easy to clean, and fully complies with international food safety standards, ensuring long-term stable operation of the equipment.
• Highly automated, worry-free and labor-saving: Equipped with a PLC intelligent control system and frequency converter, it achieves precise automated control of temperature and time, greatly reducing labor costs and operational error rates. It can be integrated with a CIP automatic cleaning system, ensuring hygiene and safety.
• Continuous operation, high-efficiency production capacity: The continuous pasteurization line achieves integrated automated production line operation of sterilization, cooling, and drying, offering high efficiency and suitability for large-scale production. It is an ideal upgrade solution for traditional sterilization tanks.