Heat Pump Integration in Food Industry Pasteurization: A Bibliometric and Technical Review

This research has been carried out to address the optimization of industrial heat management in the pursuit of sustainable energy. The focus has been placed on the food processing sector, exploring the implementation of heat pump’s system to manage energy waste into energy-intensive processes such as pasteurization. While prior research has explored specific case studies on heat pump integration, a comprehensive review that combines a bibliometric analysis with a technical synthesis of real-world outcomes has been lacking. The study has started with a comprehensive review of existing academic literature. Utilizing the Scopus database, a first research has been conducted using keywords such as "pasteurization," "heat pump," "high temperature," "energy consumption," "case study," and "food industry." This initial search results with a set of 67 documents, useful to provide first bibliometric outcome such as publication trends and key topics. However, it has become evident that merely analysing publication patterns would not suffice for obtaining the necessary technical insights. The study has advanced to more thorough technical examination. This paper aims to present a deep, fact-based analysis of the real-world effects of the integration of heat pumps into food processing. The study assess performance measures, i.e., energy savings, Coefficient of Performance (COP), and temperature ranges, together with the methodology to provide a concise technical summary of the key elements relevant to industry application. The results demonstrate a wide range of COPs (1.6 to 5.8), a shift towards natural refrigerants that are more environmentally friendly, a significant reduction in energy consumption (e.g., 37.9% in dairy systems), and an expansion of temperature capabilities on both the hot (up to 280 °C) and cool (20-120 °C) sides.