UHT systems
GEA’s UHT solutions – including UHT Direct, UHT Indirect, Product-to-Product, and Pilot Plant systems – ensure safe, high-quality products with extended shelf life, while enhancing processing flexibility and energy efficiency.
Ultra-high temperature (UHT) heat treatment is the main process step in aseptic processing for producing safe, stable liquid dairy, beverage and food products that can offer end users a long shelf life without refrigeration. Here at GEA, we understand that every product undergoing UHT treatment needs to be processed under precisely defined heating and cooling conditions to ensure complete safety and retain great product quality. We also recognize that as a manufacturer you need to stay flexible and are tasked with improving process sustainability by reducing energy and resource use and cutting waste and carbon footprint. We also recognize the need for manufacturers to stay flexible and improve process sustainability by reducing energy and resource use, cutting waste, and minimizing the carbon footprint.
Leveraging our decades of industry, process and engineering knowhow to develop a comprehensive range of indirect and direct heating UHT plants that can be configure to match your process and product needs, regardless of capacity Where possible, we have integrated energy recovery systems into our UHT plants, which can recycle up to 90% of heat energy, significantly reducing overall energy requirements and environmental impact.
Our UHT systems are designed to be gentle but effective on heat-sensitive products and ideally suited to handling other challenging products, including those containing particles or fibers.
Products
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GEA UHT system direct infusion
GEA UHT Infusion uses rapid steam heating to reduce heat load compared to indirect methods, preserving proteins, nutrients, flavor, and color for a fresher, more nutritious product.
GEA UHT system direct injection
GEA direct UHT cuts heat load vs. indirect methods, preserving proteins, nutrients, color, and flavor for better nutrition and fresher taste.
GEA UHT system indirect
GEA UHT Indirect ensures consistent, gentle heating for extended shelf life while maintaining product quality, stability, and energy-efficient performance.
GEA UHT system indirect product-to-product
GEA UHT systems with product-to-product exchangers use the product itself for heat transfer, boosting efficiency over traditional indirect heating methods.
We aim to provide technology that gives you confidence in reliable heat treatment without compromise. Our experts take the time to understand your products and processes, and your current and potential future requirements and expectations. We then collaborate with you to design and tailor the best UHT plant for your needs, budget, and setup. Additionally, we offer pilot-scale systems so that you can evaluate new processes or test production scale-up for existing and new products.
Features
Direct steam injection UHT & Direct steam infusion
- Combines either steam injection- or steam infusion-based direct heating with flash cooler technology for rapid heating and cooling.
- Product is held at high heat for just a few seconds
- Compatible with energy recovery technology.
- Lower heat load compared to indirect heating, reducing protein denaturation and preserving color and flavor.
- Ideal for heat-sensitive products like dairy milk, infant formula, oat drinks, and cream.
Compared with direct injection heating UHT, direct infusion systems provide even gentler heating, and this can further reduce heat-related effects to better preserve the sensory and nutritional qualities of heat-sensitive products.
Features
Indirect UHT
- Utilize tubular heat exchangers with a heating medium (e.g., water).
- Heat exchanger design supports efficient heat transfer from heating medium to product.
- No direct contact between heating medium and product.
- Regenerative heat exchanger technology can recover up to 90% of heat from the outgoing sterilized product to preheat the incoming product.
- Reduced overall energy use and increased energy recycling can significantly cut operating costs and impact positively on environmental footprint.
- Highly versatile and flexible plant designs for multiple products.
- Typically lower maintenance requirements than direct heating systems.
Features
Indirect product-to-product UHT
- Similar concept to traditional indirect heating UHT technology, but the heat exchangers contain heated product as the initial heat transfer medium.
- Heat energy from the hot, sterilized product is used to preheat the incoming cold product.
- Final heating of the preheated product is carried out using more conventional heat exchangers that use water as the heating medium.
- This system allows for lower overall energy requirements, when compared with traditional indirect UHT heating systems, resulting in reduced operating costs and cutting environmental footprin
Features
UHT pilot plant
- Small-scale batch production ideal for testing, optimizing processes, product/process R&D, and quality control applications.
- Configurable to run both direct (steam injection or infusion) and indirect heat exchanger-based processes.
- Customizable to swap in/ out heat exchangers, homogenizers or holding tubes.
- Precise control of temperature and residence time under heating conditions.
- Advanced monitoring, control, data logging and automation functionality.
- Easy sampling for in-process evaluation and quality control.
- Results from pilot-scale processing are scalable to industrial systems.
- Suitable for a wide range of product types.
GEA Insights
GEA opens new technology center, strengthening its position in the growing pharmaceutical applications market
Together with Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economic Affairs of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, GEA CEO Stefan Klebert has opened a new technology center for pharmaceutical freeze-drying systems in Elsdorf, Germany. GEA employs approximately 260 people at the facility, which combines research and development with production and service under one roof.
