Water Immersion Retorts and Batch Retort Machinery

STOCK Full Immersion Sterilizers have been the staple batch retort in the food industry since the 1980s, providing industry leaders with the necessary tools to produce glass, cans, pouches, and plastic containers. Adjustable continuous end-over-end agitation forces the headspace bubble to transverse the contents of the container, creating a gentle mixing action within. This agitation provides mixing of the product and eliminates any unsightly burn-on that can occur with some product formulations during the batch sterilization process.

Immersion rotation is especially beneficial in the processing of glass containers. Water immersion sterilizing provides lubricity for containers during rotation and the ability to temper the heating and cooling medium. As a result of having the ability to temper the heating and cooling sources, there is far less breakage than with conventional “empty vessel” retort sterilizers.

Immersion sterilizers are capable of exceptionally short CUTs (come-up times) based on the water being driven through the load while in rotation. With the mass of water in an immersion retort, this batch retort system is far less susceptible to inconsistent utility supply sources. The heated water acts as a heat sink once up to temperature, making minor disruptions in steam pressure insignificant.

Our newest STOCK immersion retort sterilizers are now capable of multifunctional process delivery, consisting of immersion, partial immersion, and spray processing modes of operation. All with the ability to operate in any mode of agitation, i.e., end-over-end, oscillating, and rotate and hold. The flexible process and dynamic agitation modes of operation make this a powerful sterilization retort solution for any food processor needing the ability to adapt to changing packaging and formulations.