Z-value
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"F0" is defined as the number of equivalent minutes of steam sterilization at temperature 121.1 °C (250 °F) delivered to a container or unit of product calculated using a z-value of 10 °C. The term F-value or "FTref/z" is defined as the equivalent number of minutes to a certain reference temperature (Tref) for a certain control microorganism with an established Z-value. Z-value is a term used in microbial thermal death time calculations. It is the number of degrees the temperature has to be increased to achieve a tenfold (i.e. 1 log10) reduction in the D-value. The D-value of an organism is the time required in a given medium, at a given temperature, for a ten-fold reduction in the number of organisms. It is useful when examining the effectiveness of thermal inactivations under different conditions, for example in food cooking and preservation. The z-value is a measure of the change of the D-value with varying temperature, and is a simplified version of an
Arrhenius equation In physical chemistry, the Arrhenius equation is a formula for the temperature dependence of reaction rates. The equation was proposed by Svante Arrhenius in 1889, based on the work of Dutch chemist Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff who had noted in 188 ...
and it is equivalent to z=2.303 RT Tref/E.Holdsworth S.D, Aseptic Processing and Packaging of Food Products, 1992. , 9781851667758 The z-value of an
organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...
in a particular medium is the
temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
change required for the D-value to change by a factor of ten, or put another way, the temperature required for the thermal destruction curve to move one log cycle. It is the reciprocal of the slope resulting from the plot of the logarithm of the D-value versus the temperature at which the D-value was obtained. While the D-value gives the time needed at a certain temperature to kill 90% of the organisms, the z-value relates the resistance of an organism to differing temperatures. The z-value allows calculation of the equivalency of two thermal processes, if the D-value and the z-value are known. Example: if it takes an increase of 10 °C (18 °F) to move the curve one log, then our z-value is 10. Given a D-value of 4.5 minutes at 150 °C, the D-value can be calculated for 160 °C by reducing the time by 1 log. The new D-value for 160 °C given the z-value is 0.45 minutes. This means that each 10 °C (18 °F) increase in temperature will reduce our D-value by 1 log. Conversely, a 10 °C (18 °F) decrease in temperature will increase our D-value by 1 log. So, the D-value for a temperature of 140 °C would be 45 minutes.


See also

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Pasteurisation In food processing, pasteurization ( also pasteurisation) is a process of food preservation in which packaged foods (e.g., milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than , to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life ...
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Food microbiology Food microbiology is the study of the microorganisms that inhabit, create, or contaminate food. This includes the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage; pathogens that may cause disease (especially if food is improperly cooked or stored); ...
* Sterilisation * Thermobacteriology


References


General references

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Z-Value Biology terminology de:Dezimale Reduktionszeit#Z-Wert