A household autoclave has long become an indispensable kitchen attribute for many zealous owners who prefer to prepare a variety of meat and fish snacks, compotes and juices at home. This unique device allows you to simply, quickly and safely process significant volumes of products at a time. Another important advantage of this method of preservation is that all ingredients retain their beneficial and nutritional properties.

Types of autoclaves

Currently on sale you can find home autoclaves of three modifications: electric, heated gas stove and combined, in which the possibility of both methods of operation is provided. In addition, the models differ in functionality, volume and power, which allows each consumer to choose for themselves suitable option. The price of an autoclave, depending on its technical features, can vary from 25,000 to 45,000 rubles.

Once upon a time, preparing canned food using the autoclave method was considered a rather risky activity due to the high explosion hazard of older models of such units. But modern products are completely safe, as they have multi-stage protection mechanisms, special locks, safety valves to prevent excess pressure build-up and automatic shutdown systems.

Effective destruction of harmful organisms

Back in the 19th century, microbiologists proved that the death of vegetative forms of microorganisms present in food products, occurs when they are cooked for an hour at a temperature of 60°C. This process was called pasteurization, but it had one serious drawback - at this temperature, spore forms of microbes and bacteria were not destroyed. Complete neutralization could only be ensured by sterilization of products at high temperatures. But even in a liquid boiling at 100°C, some dangerous organisms, for example, botulism bacteria survived. Therefore, it was necessary to find a solution to increase the processing temperature.

It was experimentally established that if pressure is created inside the container, the boiling point will rise above 120°C. Thus, the first prototypes of sterilizers were developed.

A household autoclave for canning also functions in the same way. It 100% eliminates harmful microorganisms. At the same time, no other devices (multi-cookers, pressure cookers and other devices) have such efficiency. The autoclave method for preparing canned food not only makes it completely safe, but also keeps it for a very long time.

Design

An autoclave is a hermetically sealed container, generally cylindrical in shape, equipped with a lid. All structural elements are made from durable metal. The cover of the device is equipped with a pressure gauge designed to control pressure, a thermometer and a fitting for pumping and bleeding air.

All models of devices are characterized by a fairly simple operating principle. They provide fast heating and, when loaded, operate at constant temperatures (about 120°C) and pressure (about 4.5 atm.) for the time required for preparing canned food.

Electric models are fully automated. Some of them are equipped with an electronic control unit. Please note that if you want to purchase an automated autoclave, its price will be significantly higher than that of simple gas modifications.

Operating principle of the autoclave system

In an unsealed container, such as a saucepan, it is impossible to heat water above its boiling point. That is, when it reaches 100°C, the liquid stops heating. This happens due to its intense evaporation during the heating process. When boiling for a long time, water from liquid state turns into completely gaseous - steam.

Home autoclaves have a sealed design, inside which a certain pressure is created using water vapor. The higher the temperature of the liquid, the stronger the evaporation and, therefore, the greater the pressure in the system. A modern household autoclave, regardless of modification, provides fractional evacuation, that is, oxygen is removed in several cycles, due to which the latent heat generated during the process of increasing pressure is characterized by a huge penetrating force that destroys microbial spores.

Due to the increased temperature, cooking food in an autoclave is much faster than by boiling in the usual way. For example, it only takes 1 minute to stew fresh cabbage, 5 minutes for green beans, and about 20 minutes for a whole 3-pound chicken. Due to instant cooking Under pressure, a household autoclave allows you to preserve all the taste and vitamin value of products.

Operating rules

Despite design features different models, they all work according to the same scheme. The instructions for the home autoclave contain information about technical specifications(internal volume, dimensions, weight, operating pressure and temperature), as well as operating requirements that must be observed. In general, the algorithm for using these devices is as follows:

1. Prepare jars of appropriate volume (0.5 or 1 l).
2. Filling containers necessary ingredients(there are a variety of autoclave recipes available).
3. Sealing filled jars with metal lids (to avoid swelling and tearing off the lids, products should not reach 2-3 cm to the edge of the neck).
4. Laying a thick fabric pad on the bottom of the autoclave or wooden lattice(to protect the cans, it is recommended to lay fabric between their walls).
5. Loading containers into a household autoclave in several “floors”.
6. Fill the unit with water to the level specified in the instructions.
7. Closing the autoclave and creating initial pressure using a pump (you need to make sure that the installation is sealed and air is not leaking anywhere).
8. Heating the device until the required pressure is created (the operating manual should contain a table of the dependence of temperature indicators on pressure).
9. Cooking (recipes for an autoclave usually indicate the cooking time for canned pork, beef, chicken, rabbit, fish, different types game and vegetables).
10. A smooth decrease in pressure after the required time has elapsed (heating is reduced gradually until the heat source is completely turned off).
11. Cooling down of the installation.
12. Slowly release pressure in the device by lightly pressing the spool.
13. Opening the autoclave and removing the finished preserves.

It should be taken into account that with sudden heating and cooling, release and increase of pressure, there is a risk of spontaneous opening of the cans, so all transitions must be carried out smoothly. In addition, it is strictly forbidden to leave a working autoclave unattended, as the pressure must be constantly monitored.

Choosing the optimal model

When choosing a device, you should focus on the operating conditions and the number of 0.5 or 1 liter cans that can be loaded at a time. For example, if you intend to can small batches of food, then buying a 46-liter unit is not advisable, since it is quite possible to get by with a compact and inexpensive gas model 20-25 liters.

When purchasing, be sure to inquire about the availability of a quality certificate and manufacturer’s warranty.

Sterilization modes

These indicators are determined by the configuration of the devices, heating methods, heat transfer characteristics and other criteria. Optimal preparation modes for certain products are often selected experimentally, focusing on recipe recommendations.

Advantages of using autoclaves

This high quality and the safety of home canned products. Quick and easy to prepare. Increased shelf life of finished products.

To make canned food tasty, choose only fresh and high-quality products. Wash glass jars, fill them with the recipe ingredients and seal them tightly with metal lids. There is no need to pre-sterilize autoclave jars.

Loading cans into the autoclave

Place the sealed jars on the rack at the bottom of the canner. You can place jars in an autoclave in several layers. The next row of cans can be placed directly on the lids of the previous row.

If the autoclave is equipped with special pressure cassettes, the jars are installed in them according to the instructions that come with the device.

Attention! Important! Only one type of jar with the same lid should be installed in one layer!

Then pour into the autoclave cold water so that the free space to the top edge of the device is approximately 3-4 cm.

Preservation in an autoclave

Close the lid of the device, make sure that the O-ring is present. Close the lid. To ensure that the lid does not skew to the side and that it lies flat, tighten the nuts crosswise.

If the autoclave is supplied without cassettes that compensate for the difference in pressure in the jars and the apparatus, pump air into the tank with a pump through the “nipple” until the pressure gauge shows 1 atm using a car or any other pump. Creating a pressure of up to 1 atm in the autoclave is necessary to maintain the integrity of the cans, since when heated, a difference in pressure is formed in the autoclave itself and inside the cans, and to check the tightness of the connection between the lid and the body.

If the autoclave is supplied with special pressure cassettes, pre-pumping is not necessary.

Turn on the heat. As it heats up, the pressure in the device will increase; we need 0.4 MPa, which corresponds to 120 °C. When the autoclave warms up to desired temperature, the jars must be kept in this mode for the time recommended for canned products. For example, for meat it is about an hour, canned vegetables in an autoclave will be ready after 20 minutes of sterilization at the same temperature, pickled mushrooms must be cooked for 40-50 minutes at a temperature of at least 110 degrees.

Completion of sterilization

After the required time has passed, gradually reduce the pressure, gradually reducing the heat until the heat source is completely turned off. Allow the unit to cool to a temperature of no more than 30°C, then slowly release the pressure using the nipple. Do not allow sudden heating and cooling, sudden release or increase in pressure - the jars may burst.

Before opening the lid, check the pressure release valve once to make sure that the pressure in the autoclave and outside are equalized. If nothing happens, you can safely open the lid.

Canned food is ready!

Open the lid and remove the jars. One laying and bringing the canned food to cooking takes 3-3.5 hours. As a rule, experienced people do this in the afternoon and by the evening they turn off the autoclave and then leave it to cool in this position until the morning.

When the sun rises, you can take out the finished jars, which will then be a wonderful delicacy for your table!

After you have studied the instructions for using the autoclave, you can begin preparing dishes, including: fish and meat stews, vegetable preparations, homemade pickles, jams and preserves.

Sterilization modes

Name of canned food	Can volume, ml.	Sterilization temperature, o C	Duration of sterilization, minutes
Canned meat	350	120	30
	500		40
	1000		60
Canned poultry meat	350	120	20
	500		30
	1000		50
Canned fish	350	115	20
	500		25
	1000		30
Canned vegetables	350	100	10
	500		15
	1000		20
Marinated mushrooms	350	110	20
	500		30
	1000		40

Autoclaves are designed for steam sterilization of surgical instruments, dressings and bottled liquids. Large-capacity autoclaves are used for sterilization of workwear and barothermal treatment of roughage in order to increase their palatability and nutritional value.

Autoclaves operating under pressure of non-toxic, non-caustic and non-explosive media at a wall temperature not exceeding 200 °C, in which the product of capacity and pressure does not exceed 980,665 Pa o m3, as well as autoclaves operating under pressure of caustic, toxic and explosive media at the same temperature, for which this product is no more than 49,033 Pa o m3, does not need to be registered with the Gosgortekhnadzor authorities.

Autoclaves are registered in a special book of registration and inspection of autoclaves, kept by the person responsible for the good condition and safe operation of autoclaves.

Persons who have reached the age of 18, who have undergone a medical examination and are found fit for this type of work, who have been specially trained and certified by a qualification commission, are allowed to work on an autoclave. The autoclave operator's knowledge is tested at least once every six years, and repeated instruction is carried out once every 3 months.

Autoclaves are installed in separate rooms, the area meeting the requirements of Building Codes and Regulations. Such a room should have natural light, transoms or vents, as well as supply and exhaust ventilation. The autoclave door should only open outwards and not be locked with a key during operation. Glazed doors are prohibited. The floor in the autoclave must be made of non-conductive material.

The autoclave is installed at a distance of at least 0.8 m from the wall and reliably grounded. Autoclaves must be equipped with:

pressure gauge located on the housing fitting or on the pipeline up to shut-off valves or on the control panel;

a safety valve installed on the water pipe or pipe directly connected to the autoclave;

shut-off valves on pipelines supplying and discharging water from the autoclave, and on pipelines supplying steam to the autoclave;

a device (valve, tap) to check the absence of pressure in the autoclave before opening it;

a thermometer installed on a pipe directly connected to the autoclave, or on the control panel;

an automatic control device on the steam supply pipeline with a pressure gauge and a safety valve on the lower pressure side after the reducing device; a pressure gauge must also be installed before the reducing device.

If the rules for operating autoclaves are violated, an explosion may occur, the causes of which may be:

malfunction of the pressure gauge or safety valve, resulting in the steam pressure exceeding the maximum permissible;

coating the walls with rust or a thick layer of scale;

fat entering the nutrient water (medium);

operation of untrained personnel or leaving the autoclave unattended.

It is forbidden to put the autoclave into operation if the grounding device, safety valve or pressure gauge is faulty; The autoclave jacket has cracks, is leaking steam, or is not filled with water to the required level.

At the end of sterilization, turn off the autoclave and open the steam-air valve located on the lid. After the pressure drops to zero (determined by a pressure gauge), loosen the hinged bolts crosswise. Then carefully lift the lid of the autoclave, avoiding thermal burns to the hands and face, the sources of which are heated surfaces and steam. Screw in the hinged bolts. It is prohibited to leave the autoclave unattended during operation and to raise the steam pressure above the permissible level. Inspection of the autoclave by the enterprise must be carried out every 60 loads, but at least once every 4 months. The results are recorded in the autoclave operation log. The operation of the double safety valve is checked at least once a month, the safety valve - at least once every 6 months, and pressure gauges - annually.

Sterilization by boiling.

Sterilization by boiling is carried out in a sterilizer. Distilled water is poured into the sterilizer, since tap water forms scale. (Glass objects are immersed in cold water, metal objects are immersed in hot water with the addition of sodium bicarbonate). The items to be sterilized are boiled over low heat for 30-60 minutes. The beginning of sterilization is considered to be the moment the water boils in the sterilizer. At the end of boiling, the instruments are taken with sterile tweezers, which are boiled along with other items.

Dry heat sterilization.

Dry heat sterilization is carried out in a Pasteur oven. The material prepared for sterilization is placed on the shelves so that it does not come into contact with the walls. The cabinet is closed and then the heating is turned on. The duration of sterilization at a temperature of 150°C is 2 hours, at 165°C – 1 hour, at 180°C – 40 minutes, at 200°C – 10-15 minutes (at 170°C paper and cotton wool turn yellow, and at more high temperature charred). The beginning of sterilization is considered to be the moment when the temperature in the oven reaches the desired height. At the end of the sterilization period, the oven is turned off, but the cabinet doors are not opened until completely cooled, since cold air entering the cabinet can cause cracks to form on hot dishes.

Steam sterilization under pressure.

Steam sterilization under pressure is carried out in an autoclave. The autoclave consists of two boilers inserted one into the other, a casing and a lid. The outer boiler is called a water-steam chamber, the inner boiler is called a sterilization chamber. Steam is generated in a water-steam boiler. The material to be sterilized is placed in the inner cauldron. There are small holes in the top of the sterilization boiler through which steam from the water-steam chamber passes. The autoclave lid is hermetically screwed to the casing. In addition to the main parts listed, the autoclave has a number of parts that regulate its operation: pressure gauge, water meter glass, safety valve, outlet, air and condensation valves. The pressure gauge is used to determine the pressure created in the sterilization chamber. Normal atmospheric pressure(760 mm Hg) is taken as zero, therefore, in an idle autoclave, the pressure gauge needle is at zero. There is a certain relationship between the pressure gauge readings and temperature (Table 1).

The red line on the pressure gauge scale determines the maximum operating pressure that is allowed in the autoclave. Safety valve serves to protect against excessive pressure increases. It is set to a given pressure, that is, the pressure at which sterilization must be carried out; when the pressure gauge needle crosses the line, the autoclave valve automatically opens and releases excess steam, thereby slowing down the further rise in pressure.

On the side wall of the autoclave there is a water gauge glass showing the water level in the water-steam boiler. There are two horizontal lines on the water meter glass tube - lower and upper, indicating the permissible lower and upper water levels in the water-steam chamber, respectively. The air valve is designed to remove air from the sterilization and water-steam chambers at the beginning of sterilization, since air, being a poor heat conductor, disrupts the sterilization regime. At the bottom of the autoclave there is a condensation tap to free the sterilization chamber from condensate formed during the heating period of the sterilized material.

Rules for working with an autoclave.

Before starting work, inspect the autoclave and control equipment. In autoclaves with automatic steam control, the arrows on the electric vacuum pressure gauge of the water-steam chamber are set in accordance with the sterilization mode: the lower arrow is set to 0.1 atm. lower, upper - by 0.1 atm. above the operating pressure, the water-steam chamber is filled with water to the upper mark of the measuring glass. During the period of filling with water, the valve on the pipe through which steam enters the chamber is kept open to allow free air exit from the boiler. The sterilization chamber of the autoclave is loaded with the material to be sterilized. After this, the lid (or door) of the autoclave is closed, tightly secured with a central lock or bolts; to avoid distortion, screw the bolts crosswise (along the diameter). Then turn on the heating source ( electric current, steam), closing the valve on the pipe connecting the steam source to the sterilization chamber. With the beginning of steam formation and creation of pressure in the water-steam chamber, purging is carried out (removing air from the sterilization boiler). The method of air removal is determined by the design of the autoclave. At first, the air comes out in separate portions, then a smooth, continuous stream of steam appears, indicating that the air has been completely displaced from the sterilization chamber. After removing the air, the tap is closed, and a gradual increase in pressure begins in the sterilization chamber.

The beginning of sterilization is considered to be the moment when the pressure gauge needle shows the set pressure. After this, the heating intensity is reduced so that the pressure in the autoclave remains at the same level for the required time. At the end of the sterilization time, heating is stopped. Close the valve in the pipeline supplying steam to the sterilization chamber, and open the valve on the condensation (down) pipe to reduce the steam pressure in the chamber. After the pressure gauge needle drops to zero, slowly loosen the clamping devices and open the autoclave lid.

The temperature and duration of sterilization are determined by the quality of the material being sterilized and the properties of the microorganisms with which it is infected.

Temperature control in the sterilization chamber is carried out periodically using bacteriological tests. Biotests are produced by the bacteriological laboratories of the Center for Sensitive Sciences. If these tests are not passed, an inspection is carried out technical condition autoclave

Sterilization of instruments is a necessity in the medical field and cosmetology. Special equipment is used for this. The most common are autoclaves. They may have different performance, design, technical features.
In cosmetology and medicine, three types of autoclaves are used:

• columned;
• horizontal;
• vertical.

Each device is equipped with a heat exchanger (external or internal) and a special mixing device. The latter can be mechanical, electromagnetic, pneumatic. Maintenance and repair of the autoclave is carried out by a master, taking into account its design and technical features.

Features of the use and repair of autoclaves

Equipment for sterilization is required certain requirements. First of all, it must be operational and efficient. Autoclaves are used in areas where instrument sterility matters a lot. Accordingly, the condition of sterilization equipment must be carefully monitored.

Maintenance and repair of autoclaves must be carried out as planned. During maintenance, specialized specialists assess the condition of sterilization equipment, identify hidden defects in parts, and diagnose the performance of components. If necessary, worn elements are replaced with new ones. Planned component repairs are also carried out.

Autoclave repair is a task for professionals

Maintenance, modernization, and restoration of sterilization equipment must be performed by specialists of the appropriate profile. The work is carried out both at the site where the equipment is used in Moscow or another city, with a technician on site, and in a service center.

Diagnostics, examination, repair of an autoclave require availability special equipment and tools, certain knowledge, skills. Trust the performance of diagnostic and repair work necessary for professionals.

Engineers and technical specialists of Glory Med Service will perform the entire range of necessary service work with a guarantee of quality results. We service autoclaves of all common brands and models. Cooperation with clients is carried out on contractual terms.

We also carry out testing, commissioning of sterilization equipment when modernizing the material and technical base in medical institution, cosmetology salon.

Question and answer

Question #260

Sanzhiev Aldar Nikolaevich asked a question on the topic: autoclave repair

Good afternoon, please tell me how much it will cost to repair an autoclave in the city of Tomsk? along with all the costs? We need to carry out diagnostics, disassembly, pressure gauge repair, distribution valve maintenance, emergency valve repair, expansion barrel cleaning, hydraulic pipe cleaning, autoclave assembly and autoclave operation testing. Can I please send it Commercial offer, to pay for your services, to settle the price with your superiors?

To the question #260 replied GloriMedEsthetician Sergey Nikolaevich, Leading Engineer

Good afternoon. We have service center only in Moscow. You can send it to us for diagnostics and repair. The exact price can only be stated after diagnosis.

Maxim continued the question on the topic: autoclave repair