Thermal process validation

Thermal process validation

To discuss your needs

Our experienced thermal processing team at Campden BRI has working knowledge of a wide range of processes and products and can use a range of equipment to solve your validation needs.

By doing this complex and time consuming work for you, we can save you time and money while ensuring you remain fully compliant. Interested? Get in touch with our friendly team who can provide a quote or help you draw up a brief.

Our thermal processing team at Campden BRI offer a number of services to help you with your thermal processing needs, including:

Temperature distribution or heat distribution testing

Temperature mapping or heat-transfer mapping of processing equipment is required for all in-pack thermal processing systems (e.g. retorts, tunnel pasteurisers, steam ovens). This is vital to monitor performance of the equipment and to locate the ‘cold spot’ in the system. It must be performed before the thermal process is validated using one or more of the accepted techniques.

At Campden BRI we offer both types of distribution testing:

View heat distribution testing

Heat penetration

Heat penetration refers to the validation testing undertaken on a specific product. In short, product temperature profiles are measured at worst-case heating conditions samples during a scheduled thermal process.

These systematic tests are required to provide evidence of safe thermal processing whenever the thermal process is a ‘kill step’, i.e. a Critical Control Point in a HACCP plan for cooking, pasteurisation and sterilisation processes.

The heat penetration protocols can also be used to optimise a thermal process, where the recommendation is a gain in efficiency through reduction in process time or temperature. Specialising in this food-safety critical work, our experts can help you with heat penetration.

View heat penetration

Time-temperature integrators (TTIs)

Time-temperature integrators (TTIs) can be used as an alternative method to temperature measurement for thermal process validation. TTIs use amylase enzymes to estimate process values from the initial and final enzyme activities. This is an invaluable technique for products and processes where it is not possible practically to obtain accurate temperature data.

View time-temperature integrators

Chilling and freezing

We can use our temperature measurement equipment to validate the effectiveness of chilling and freezing operations (e.g. cook-chill or cook-freeze processes). Often this can be done as part of the same cook validation project, using similar ‘worst-case’ heat penetration principles for cooking, pasteurisation or sterilisation.

Hot fill validation

For acid or acidified foods, hot-filling is a useful manufacturing procedure to decontaminate packaging, using the hot product to pasteurise the inner pack surface. This is an important operation with regards to food safety and spoilage that is often monitored and validated as a Critical Control Point. Campden BRI can use our combination of temperature measurement and enzymic techniques to provide robust validation of the hot fill process to ensure packaging is safely heat treated (e.g. jars or pouches). Find out more.

View hot fill validation

Pack deflection testing

At Campden BRI, our team can use specialist equipment to measure the deflection of the top pack surface during retort processing. This is important for flexible packages to minimise the stress on pack seals and reduce the risk of pack failures. Correct overpressure profiles can be determined so the retort has a programmed pressure profile optimal for your product.

View pack deflection testing

Key services

Heat process validation

Heat process validation

Many factors affect the amount of heat delivered, the product it contains, and the degree of mixing during the process.

Pilot plant facilities

Pilot plant facilities

Food and drink pilot plant facilities, covering over 3000m2.

Thermal processing

Thermal processing

Thermal processing is at the centre of food preservation.

Food product development

Food product development

Developing new food and drink products is a complex process, we can help across the full range of food types.

Man cooking with oven

Food cooking or reheating instructions

Knowledge and expertise for microwave and conventionally heated products.

New technologies services and information

New technologies services and information

Exploring new and emerging process technologies for industry use.

Pilot plant (on-line)

Pilot plant (on-line)

Develop new products, analyze existing processes and try out ideas.

Pet food product development

Pet food product development

All our services are available to support the pet food industry.

Thermal processing training courses

Explore our Thermal processing related courses including; Thermal processing and validation and Thermal processing - continuous flow, live online tutor-led course

View courses

Are you getting the most from your Membership?

Watch our membership FAQ videos and find out more about Member Service Account spending, Member Interest Groups, help and advice

Find out more

Where we refer to UKAS Accreditation

The Campden BRI group companies listed below are accredited in accordance with the recognised International Standard ISO17025:2017 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The accreditation demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope of methods, specific to each site, as detailed in the schedules of accreditation bearing the testing laboratory number. The schedules may be revised from time to time and reissued by UKAS. The most recent issue of the schedules are available from the UKAS website www.ukas.com. Campden BRI (Chipping Campden) Limited is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 1079

Contact an expert