Bottles fizz when pasteurizing

[dani elo]

Hi guys,

We've just started to pasteurize carbonated product and I have this problem: the bottle caps fizz a bit and so I am afraid that if I cover them completely with water... water will enter (if something goes out, something goes in).

They fizzing very little and I have tested carbonation (with no instruments) and it is just fine after that but I am not comfortable submerging them.

Questions:

- Is that normal?

- Is the problem on our capper: at normal temp we can agitate the bottles and submerge them in water and no fizz or losses

- Is the problem on head space? Which is the safe headspace for carbonated pasteurization

Thanks!!

[Tim]

Not normal at all, must be the capper or the caps not seating properly.
Head space is indicated on the bottom rim of the bottle, usually stated in mm.

 

Tim in Dorset

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[Cornelius Traas]

In my experience a properly fitted crown cap can allow (a little) gas to escape during pasteurisation, as pressures, depending on CO2 content of the product, can go to twice (or even more than twice) the rated capability of the bottle, which is typically 3 or 3.5 bar.

There is no selection of a “safer” head space for pasteurisation that brings the bottle beyond its rated pressure. An occasional (or more than occasional if the CO2 content is too high) exploding bottle is inevitable in such a situation, regardless of whether there is some gas escape from the bottle or not. In commercial pasteurisation tunnels the bottles are cooled before they exit, so breaking bottles do not pose a hazard to workers as they break in a confined space, and having “survived” the over-pressure, can be considered safe to handle once returned to below their max rated pressure.

 

Cornelius Traas, The Apple Farm,
Cahir, Co. Tipperary, Ireland.

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[Wes Cherry]

A little bubbling is normal and nothing to worry about.  The pressure inside is tremendous - any lost volume will be made up by co2 coming out of solution.   Water coming in from the pasteurizer bath is strongly unfavored due to the pressure differential.

Test the co2 level post pasteurization and adjust initial carbonization levels if necessary to compensate for loss.

We spray the bottles for a few minutes with tap water after coming out of the pasteurizer.   This brings the temp down a fair amount so the cider doesn't continue to cook in the bottles.  It also makes them cool enough to touch to be fed into the labeller. labels stick much better  on warm bottles.

We also blow off the water that clings under the caps with compressed air.   If that isn't done that water gets packaged along with the bottle in the case and eventually makes a steamy hotbox that can compromise the cardboard.

-'//es Cherry

Dragon's Head Cider

Vashon Island, Wa US

www.dragonsheadcider.com

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[Adam]

We regularly see a few bottles (5% or so) with Tiny trails of bubbles escaping when approaching peak temperatures, no gas or liquid leaks afterwards. Was starting to question my capper's capping ability. Will be curious to see if the same persists when we eventually upgrade to a pneumatic unit.

We have learned the hard way how critical appropriate headspace is in package. Overfull bottles in our pasteurizer on the first few batches resulted in some really spectacular pops, shooting the caps banging off the 25' high ceiling.

An excellent visual reminder to always wear appropriate protective gear (eg, perspex blast shield)

[Richie McBride]

Excellent tip on the blowing off of the under cap water. Explains my corrosion on my en tirage champagne style cider!
Living and learning 👍