Food Processing Lecture Notes 2
Food Processing Lecture Notes 2
Canning Operations.
Canning is the process in which foods are placed in cans or jars with lid on or in suitable
retort able flexible containers and heated to a temperature that destroys microorganisms
and inactivates enzymes.
Methods of Canning
1. Cold Pack Method- the cold or new product is packed into the tin or glass jar container
covered with hot syrup or any suitable liquid. This method is recommended for canning
watery acid foods, such as tomatoes, ripe pimientos, green pepper, etc.
2. Hot Pack Method- The raw material is precooked (boiled, heated) and immediately
packed in sterile tin or glass jar containers. This method has been found satisfactory for
vegetables and meat.
3. Open Kettle Method- Food is cooked in open vessels then packed boiling hot into sterile
glass jars and scaled containers. This method is recommended only for preserve, jams, fruit
butters and other foods containing enough sugar.
Steps in Canning
1. Raw Materials Handling- The quality of raw materials is directly related to the quality of
the finished product.
2. Pre-treatments- Covers the range of operations involving preparation before filling into
cans or other containers. Example for fishery products; washing, gutting, filleting,
shucking, shelling, peeling, cutting, etc.
3. Pre-Cooking- this is usually carried out in various ways, using steam, water, oil, hot air
or smoke or a combination of these.
4. Filling- Fill weights, and fill temperatures are monitored because both affect the heating
at the slowest heating point in the container during retorting, variations in fill weight / fill
temperature may affect the safety of the product, so it should be carried out under strict
control. Adequate headspace must be provided to allow for expansion caused by heating
the product from filling temperature to processing temperature. If no space is allowed for
expansion, the pressure build up can damage the hermetic seal or in the case of bottles will
FOOD PROCESSING BTVTED 3
LECTURE NOTES 2 APCBA
cause the lids to flip during processing. Glass jars should be filled ¾ Full or it should be at
the neck level.
5. Exhausting-is the removal of air from the food in the container. The removal of air will
ensure a vacuum in the canned food. Vacuum in the canned foods is obtained by heating
the food before or after filling into containers.
6. Sealing-A successful seal is an essential factor in canning. A seal defect or failure will
make the product unsafe and not shelf stable.
7. Retorting- The sealed containers are subjected to pressurized steam in a retort or
pressure canner. Pressure processing is also called retorting.
Canning Equipment
1. Water Bath - a large deep kettle that has a cover and a rack to hold jar is adequate. It
should be deep enough to allow water to extend 1 to 2 inches over the tops of the jar with
enough room for the water to boil.
2. Pressure Canner - it is necessary to process low acid foods. It is a deep, heavy kettle
that has a rack on the bottom for jars to stand on, a tight-fitting lid with gasket, and a
pressure gauge. The gasket keeps steam from leaking out around the cover. A dial gauge
has a needle that moves along a numbered scale to indicate the pressure inside the canner.
3. Exhausting Steamer-This maybe a regular steamer or a water bath where filled jars are
heated up to a temperature of 83 to 85 degree Celsius at its slowest heating point.
Quarantine- Keep the processed products and observe all jars within 10-14days for signs
of spoilage. Bulging and leakage are sure signs of spoilage. Discard all such jars. Cloudy
liquid maybe a sign of spoilage or be due to minerals in hard water or starch from overripe
vegetables.