PASTEURIZATION
There are several techniques that ensure the preservation of the quality and nutritional value of the food, as well as the extension of its shelf life. Some of those techniques are pasteurization and sterilization. Since both techniques use heat as their main source of energy in order to change the conditions of food, that is, to destroy the microorganisms and their spores or to prevent their development, they belong to the heat treatment techniques. Sterilization is a technique that uses relatively high temperatures in order to extend the shelf life of the product for several months. At the same time, the vegetative cells and spores of many microorganisms are destroyed, the characteristics of the food are modified, and most of its nutrients are destroyed. Pasteurization, on the other hand, implies heat treatment of the food, destroying only part of its microorganisms. Specifically, the primary purpose of pasteurization is to destroy or eliminate pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms and reduce enzyme activity in the product. The process of pasteurization depends on the heat resistance of certain microorganisms in the food, as well as the heat sensitivity of the product itself. Therefore there are two main types of pasteurization: one with high temperature effect for a short time and low temperature pasteurization for a long time or s.c. extended shelf life treatment.
Pasteurization is increasingly used as a method of protecting food for extended periods of time. This technique with a lower temperature, does not affect the quality features of the food ingredients, nor does it destroy or change its taste and composition.
One of the most common pasteurized products is milk. Along with it, pasteurization is also applied on juices, cheeses and dairy products, canned foods, syrups, low-alcohol beverages, wine, butter, and many other products. More recently, bread is also a product which has started to undergo a pasteurization process. This is primarily due to the fact that all types of bread are most susceptible to the influence of two factors – mold and moisture, which contribute to the decline and loss of bread quality. Once the bread comes out of the oven, mold spores that are naturally found in the environment are placed in the bread. Over a few days, if the bread is left untreated, the mold grows and expands. For these reasons, many bakery industries use chemicals, such as calcium propionate, to protect their product. These additional chemicals are exactly the ones that can be avoided by pasteurization.
Zito Luks is the only one that uses the pasteurization process of certain types of bread. All toast breads, as well as certain special breads, such as Graham, Bavarian, Nordic, Nutri wholegrain with sunflower seeds, are subject to the pasteurization process. After baking, the bread is cut, then packed and exposed to the so-called repeated baking at a specific temperature for a specified interval of time. It is a pasteurization process that allows the bread to be kept fresh for weeks without the use of chemicals or preservatives. In addition to preserving the natural freshness that characterizes the first day of bread production, this pasteurization process ensures the microbiological viability of the bread within the declared shelf life. Additionally, the double wrapping of toast bread also helps maintain the natural moisture of the bread for a longer period of time. This way toast breads stay fresh for up to 15 days without the use of preservatives.
CERTIFICATES
„Zito Luks AD Skopje is a renowned and proven company in the field of quality products, which obtained a quality certificate ISO 9001: 2000 back in 2000. Since then, staying faithful to the goal to offer quality products that will best meet the needs of consumers, “Zito Luks” has established and successfully implemented a superior food safety system, in compliance with accepted safety standards. As a result, in June 2009, Zito Luks acquired the new ISO 22000 Quality and Safety Certificate.
Furthermore, ISO 22000 is combining the HACCP (Risk Analysis and Critical Control Points) plan and prerequisite programs into an integrated food safety management strategy, which is used to identify, prevent and control food safety risks.
Our goal is to provide consumers and their families in the Balkans with top quality products. As bakers, we are aware that top quality means producing natural and safe products. This is exactly what we do by applying the strictest standards. ISO 22000 certification is another confirmation of that.
EUROBUSINESS – SUPER BRANDS
Zito Luks is a company that continuously works on improving its products, delivering impeccably delicious breads to the citizens and a company that has transformed its long tradition into creating a superbrand.
Declaring Zito Luks a superbrand in four consecutive years, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, is just another proof of the overall operation of the company. The superbrand recognition brings together values such as product quality, recognition of the company and its products, consistency, communication with consumers and care for their needs, presence, and distribution in the market. All this adds to the value of the Zito Luks breads and flours. This is a motive for further improvement in all segments to justify the continued trust of a large number of satisfied customers. The acknowledgement of Zito Luks as a superbrand company is just an additional proof and reward for the company’s commitment to its work and consumers.
