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Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Preservation and Heat Treatment

UHT

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

abbreviationCore term

In food science & technology, UHT means: Ultra-high temperature: a heat treatment that heats a liquid food to about 135–150 °C for a few seconds and then packs it aseptically, so it keeps for months without refrigeration.

In Turkish: UHT, ultra yüksek sıcaklık işlemi

How it is used

Mostly used for milk, cream, plant-based drinks and liquid desserts. Heating can be direct, by injecting steam, or indirect, through heat exchangers. UHT milk has a slightly cooked taste compared with pasteurized milk. People say 'UHT milk' or, in the UK, 'long-life milk'.

Example sentences

  1. UHT milk in cartons can be stored for six months at room temperature until it is opened.

  2. The UHT plant heats the milk to 140 °C for four seconds.

Common collocations

  • UHT milk
  • UHT treatment
  • UHT plant
  • direct UHT
  • long-life milk
  • aseptic packagingFilling a commercially sterile product into sterilized containers in a sterile environment and sealing them, so that the food stays safe at room temperature.
  • pasteurizationA mild heat treatment that kills most disease-causing and many spoilage microorganisms while keeping the taste and nutrients of the food as unchanged as possible.
  • sterilizationA treatment, usually with high heat, that destroys microorganisms and their spores so that a food can be stored at room temperature without spoiling or becoming unsafe.
  • heat exchangerA piece of equipment that transfers heat between two fluids without mixing them, for example to heat milk with hot water or to cool it with ice water.

More terms: Preservation and Heat Treatment

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