Economic Aspects of Cold Food Pasteurization

The economics of cold food pasteurization are governed by a number of factors, including: the type of ionizing radiation source (X-Ray, or Gamma), cost and power of the source, pasteurization dose, location of the pasteurization facility, facility capacity factor, and the annualized costs. Using a costing procedure developed by Morrison [1], calculations for typical sources, locations, etc., have been updated using facility cost estimates prepared by a major U.S. construction firm and scalings from the Morrison data. The “owner’s cost” per pound of product is a function of the facility scale, showing an asymptote at ~ 100 kT (220 million pounds) per year of product. Likewise, the owner’s cost significantly depends on the annualization interest rate. A “stand-alone” location of the pasteurization facility has an effect on the cost of the process due to the need to transport product from the meat plant to the facility, the labor for unloading and loading the product at the facility, and the unshared G&A costs at the facility. This increases processing costs and “borrows” into the shelf-life value of the product. An “integrated” location of the pasteurization facility (at the meat plant) minimizes processing cost (inclusive of special labeling) and best fits the operating characteristics of a typical meat plant (2 shift, 5 day week).