Retort Processing

Retort processing is an industrial food sterilization technique in which sealed food containers are heated to about 240 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or 116 to 121 degrees Celsius, for several minutes under high pressure inside a vessel called a retort or autoclave. The combination of heat and pressure reliably kills the microorganisms that commonly cause food spoilage, particularly Clostridium botulinum, so the sealed food can then be stored safely at room temperature. Retort processing is used as an alternative to traditional industrial canning and is applied both to food packaged in rigid cans and to food packaged in flexible retort pouches.