Thermal sterilization of canned food is widely used in the food preservation industry. This method ensures the microbiological safety of the products, helps to define their sensory properties, and preserves their nutrients. However, sterilization requires a significant amount of energy, which has an impact on the cost of the final product and the environment. In this paper, we present an experimental study into the energy balance in a vertical steam retort in a transient state during the venting stage with an initial product temperature of 4 °C and a container size of 63.5 × 30.16 mm. We carried out the experiments in accordance with the protocol for conducting temperature distribution studies developed by the Institute for Thermal Processing Specialists (IFTPS). Additionally, by means of a heuristic optimization method, we determined an optimal venting program for the process and its energy efficiency. The total energy consumption was 32.5 MJ; the thermal efficiency of the process, 43.88%; the losses through walls, drainage, venting, and purging, 27.82%; the energy required to heat the retort and the fittings, 22.91%; and others losses, 7.0%. Furthermore, we studied the phenomena associated with the sterilization process to propose strategies to reduce energy consumption.

罐头食品的热灭菌在食品保存行业中被广泛使用。这种方法可确保产品的微生物安全性，有助于定义其感官特性并保留其营养成分。但是，灭菌需要大量的能量，这会影响最终产品的成本和环境。在本文中，我们对初始产品温度为4°C且容器尺寸为63.5×30.16 mm的排气阶段的过渡状态下的垂直蒸汽蒸馏瓶中的能量平衡进行了实验研究。我们根据热加工专家协会（IFTPS）开发的用于进行温度分布研究的协议进行了实验。此外，借助启发式优化方法，我们为该工艺及其能效确定了最佳的排气程序。总能耗为32.5 MJ；该工艺的热效率为43.88％；墙壁，排水，通风和吹扫造成的损失为27.82％；加热脱水缸和配件所需的能量为22.91％；其他损失为7.0％。此外，我们研究了与灭菌过程相关的现象，以提出降低能耗的策略。