Flash pasteurization, also called "High Temperature Short Time" processing, is a method of heat pasteurization of perishable beverages like fruit and vegetable juices, beer, and some dairy products. Compared to other pasteurization processes, it maintains color and flavor better, but some cheeses were found to have varying responses to the process.[1]
It is done prior to filling into containers in order to kill spoilage microorganisms, to make the products safer and extend their shelf life. Flash pasteurization must be used in conjunction with sterile fill technology (similar to aseptic processing) and therefore has the risk of post-pasteurization contamination if hygiene standards are not rigorously enforced.[2] Flash pasteurization is often used for the pasteurization of bulk products such as keg beer, milk, and kosher wines.
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.
Flash pasteurization is widely used for fruit juices. Flash pasteurization was first developed by Tropicana Products, which has used the method since the 1950s.[3] The juice company Odwalla switched from non-pasteurized to flash-pasteurized juices in 1996 after tainted unpasteurized apple juice containing E. coli O157:H7 sickened many children and killed one.[4]