A stainless-steel tubular UHT sterilizer for continuous 115–137℃ processing of juice, tea, milk and plant-protein drinks. Siemens PLC control, up to 90% heat recovery, built-in CIP and full self-sterilization make it a core module for turnkey beverage and dairy bottling lines exported worldwide.
Bottlers scaling up in Central Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia and South America need a sterilizer that keeps flavour intact while running around the clock. This tubular UHT sterilizer answers that demand: it treats juice, tea drinks, milk beverages and other liquids in a fully closed food-grade circuit, then hands them straight to your filler as part of a complete turnkey beverage or dairy production line.
The whole unit – frame, pipework and heat-exchange tubes – is built from stainless steel and driven by a Siemens touch-screen PLC, so operators supervise rather than intervene. It slots neatly between homogenizers and deaerators and manages every step itself, from CIP wash and self-sterilization to product run and data logging.
Overview
Designed for medium-to-large plants, the sterilizer combines thorough microbial kill with gentle heat treatment. Because product stays at high temperature only briefly, its original taste, colour and nutrition survive the process – a decisive advantage over batch systems for premium beverage brands.
Key Features
- Heat recovery up to 90% slashes steam and cooling-water bills, keeping running costs low even on continuous shifts.
- Straight-tube heat exchangers work with a small medium-to-product temperature gap, so scaling stays minimal and production cycles run longer between cleanings.
- Hands-off automation covers CIP, self-sterilization and product sterilization with automatic control and full recording, trimming labour and stabilising quality.
- Precise sterilization logic regulates steam pressure, flow and material flow together to hold temperature accurately batch after batch.
- Aseptic build uses polished, automatically welded inner walls plus whole-line self-sterilization to guarantee a sterile system.
- Safety first – steam, hot water and product circuits each carry pressure protection and alarms.
- Premium components – pumps, valves, electricals and actuators are all world-famous brands for long, stable service.
- Integrated CIP cleans the entire pipeline automatically, with no disassembly, to satisfy food-hygiene rules.
How It Works
The machine relies on ultra-high-temperature instantaneous (UHT) sterilization. Product moves continuously through a closed tubular exchanger, passing preheating, high-temperature holding and cooling in turn.
Incoming cold product first enters the heat-recovery section, where it is warmed by the outgoing sterilized stream. It then reaches the heating section and is driven rapidly to 115–137℃ by steam or hot water, held in the tube for the set time to destroy microorganisms and spores, and finally cooled to the required filling temperature.
Everything happens inside sealed food-grade stainless steel with no outside contact and a very short high-temperature exposure – the reason the finished drink keeps its native flavour, colour and nutrients.
Process Routes
Three standard temperature programmes match different filling styles:
- Aseptic packaging: 5℃ → 65℃ (homogenization) → 137℃ (3–5s holding) → 20–25℃
- Hot filling: 5℃ → 65℃ (homogenization) → 115℃/125℃ (5–15s holding) → 88–90℃
- Warm filling: 5℃ → 65℃ (homogenization) → 115℃/125℃ (5–15s holding) → 75–78℃
Technical Parameters
Data is for reference only. Specifications can be customized to your production requirements.
Applications
- Beverages: fruit juice, tea drinks, fruit-and-vegetable juice, compound beverages and similar liquids.
- Dairy: milk beverages, flavoured milk and plant-protein drinks.
- Food processing: liquid condiments, plant extracts, syrup and other liquid raw materials.
- Other sectors: pharmaceutical, daily-chemical and similar liquids needing UHT heat treatment.
Build Your Line With Us
Pair this tubular UHT sterilizer with our filling, blending and CIP modules to commission a complete packaged drinking water production line or beverage plant. Contact Zhonglian Machinery for tailored capacity, layout and turnkey project support.
