Assessment of Various Process Parameters for Optimized Sterilization Conditions Using a Multi-Sensing Platform

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Microbiology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Aseptic packaging is crucial for food safety and shelf-life extension.
• Sterilization validation traditionally relies on time-consuming microbiological tests.
• Gaseous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a common sterilant in aseptic processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an online multi-sensing platform for evaluating H₂O₂ sterilization parameters.
• To correlate process parameters with microbiological efficacy for aseptic packaging.
• To enable real-time monitoring and optimization of sterilization processes.

Main Methods:

• Engineered an online multi-sensing platform for simultaneous measurement of H₂O₂ sterilization parameters.
• Conducted microbiological reduction tests using *B. atrophaeus* spores as a reference.
• Correlated sensor data with microbiological results to define optimal sterilization conditions.

Main Results:

• Identified critical H₂O₂ sterilization parameters including temperature, flow, concentration, humidity, and exposure time.
• Established correlations between these parameters and spore kill rates.
• Demonstrated the platform's capability for online, on-site monitoring and process optimization.

Conclusions:

• The multi-sensing platform provides effective online monitoring of H₂O₂ sterilization for aseptic packaging.
• Optimized sterilization conditions were defined based on correlated process parameters and microbiological data.
• The platform reduces the need for extensive microbiological testing, saving time and cost.