Optimal stopping time for thermal processing of canned foods under power failure events: Correction for real time implementation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Unexpected disturbances during the sustained (holding) phase of thermal sterilization complicate the decision of when a batch can be safely released without resorting to overly conservative margins. We present a model-based stopping rule that computes the minimal process extension required to reach the desired lethality at the product cold spot. The method combines a heat-transfer model with a lethality accumulator and an optimization procedure that evaluates the actual measured retort trajectory during and after the disturbance. To enable fast evaluation, a projection-based reduced-order model was developed using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition. The reduced model reproduced cold-spot temperature and final lethality within operational accuracy of full finite-element simulations while achieving approximately an order-of-magnitude (tenfold) reduction in computation time. Case studies on conduction-dominated, axisymmetric cans showed that the optimal stopping condition follows an approximately linear relation between cold-spot temperature and accumulated lethality, which collapsed into a universal non-dimensional rule with R 2 = 0 . 98 across different food products. These results demonstrate that the proposed approach enables safe corrections of thermal sterilization processes under power failure events.
Source: Journal of Food Engineering
Institution: Universidade de Vigo
Language: English
Subfield: Biotechnology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,350
OpenAlex ID: W7154722308