pasteurization unit

One pasteurization unit is the microorganism death that occurs in a product held at 60C for 1
minute. It was defined in 1951 by Del Vecchio et al, and is employed in rating the effectiveness
of pasteurization processes for beer and other products. Symbol, PU.
The number of PU's required for a particular beverage depends on several factors, such as the
microrganisms it contains and even on the type of packaging. Wild yeasts, for example, such
as occur in some types of Belgian ales, are more resistant to heat than domestic yeasts. A survey
of large American breweries in 1955 found their processes averaged 14.8 PU's, wih a range of
2.4 to 45.6 PU's.
The success of pasteurization (that is, what percentage of the microrganisms are killed) is
affected by both temperature and by the length of time for which the product is held at that
temperature. It is a tradeoff: high temperatures for short times or lower temperatures for longer
times. Unfortunately, higher temperatures tend to affect the taste of the beverage.
The total number of PU's for a particular pasteurization processs for beer can be estimated from:
PU = t 1.393(T 60)
where T is the temperature in degrees Celsius, and
t is the time in minutes at which the beer is held at that temperature.
In reality, of course, the beverage does not instantaneously go to the desired temperature, nor
does it cool down instantaneously.
1. H. W. Del Vecchio, C. A. Dayharsh, and F. C. Baselt.
Thermal death time studies on beer spoilage organisms.
Proceedings of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 1951, page 45.
2. Andrew Geoffrey Howard Lea and John R. Piggott, editors.
Fermented Beverage Production. 2nd edition.
Springer, 2003.
Page 379.