Flash pasteurization

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Flash pasteurization is a method of heat pasteurization of perishable beverages like milk, smoothies, fruit and vegetable juices, and beer. It is done prior to filling into containers in order to kill spoilage microorganisms, as an effort to make the products safer and to extend their shelf life.

The liquid moves in a controlled, continuous flow while subjected to temperatures of 71.5 °C (160 °F) to 74 °C (165 °F), for about 15 to 30 seconds, a ratio expressed as pasteurization units.

The process is more prevalent in Europe and Asia than in North America. The effects of the process involve maintaining color and flavor while killing potentially harmful and beneficial bacteria.

Juice company Odwalla moved from non-pasteurised to flash-pasteurised juices in 1996 after tainted unpasteurized apple juice containing E. coli O157:H7 sickened many children and killed one ^[1].