Classification by Heat Treatment

Heat classification tells users whether heat is absent, partial, lethal, stabilising or commercially sterilising in the intended product system.

Fresh and some cured products remain uncooked and require later cooking or another supported preservation route. Raw does not mean unprocessed.

Cooked products receive a defined thermal process, but the meaning of pasteurisation depends on the target organism, product and schedule.

Hot smoking can add smoke and heat simultaneously, yet chamber temperature or the word hot does not prove that a supported internal lethality was achieved.

Commercial sterility requires a distinct process and package system. It should not be grouped casually with ordinary cooked sausages.

Store the official or supported heat state and keep it separate from fermentation, drying and storage status.