Abstract

Following several major product recalls, nuts are now increasingly viewed as high risk products. These low moisture foods do not support the growth of microorganisms, however Salmonella survives very well on nuts and may causesevere illness. Dry or moist thermal processes are already validated to pasteurize nuts, but new technologies combining steam and vacuum have improved the outcome of the process helping to preserve the raw attributes of the nuts. The vacuum allows precise control of saturated steam conditions and treatment temperature parameters. By programming profiles specific to each nut, steam and vacuum are combined optimally to protect the characteristics of each product.This batch process is available in a modular range of sizes suitable for processors large or small whether handling a largevolume of a single product or a large range of products.