1 year, 9 months ago
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Is bottled ice tea supposed to be pasteurized?
I recently bought some bottled ice tea that was on sale and noticed on the label that it was "pasteurized." The tea is from a smaller distributor in the midwest. I don't recall ever seeing that on other brands. Is tea supposed to pasteurized? What's the process and what are the effects? Does it have to be kept refrigerated? Are most major national brands pasteurized?
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Teas are typically either pasteurized (also called “hot-filled”) or cold-filled as a means of keeping them from spoiling. Pasteurization kills bacteria by heating the product during the manufacturing process and cold-filling prevents spoiling using preservatives.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, but one of the disadvantages to pasteurized foods is that they must be kept refrigerated. Additionally, some bacteria might not be killed in the pasteurization process. On the other hand, pasteurized beverages don’t require preservatives to keep them from spoiling.
Different tea makers use different processes to preserve their end product and meet their specific supply chain needs. Most tea makers don’t discuss how they preserve their product, but I would venture to guess that most products sold on a national level are cold-filled. One exception that comes to mind is Honest Tea which states that they make pasteurized tea.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, but one of the disadvantages to pasteurized foods is that they must be kept refrigerated. Additionally, some bacteria might not be killed in the pasteurization process. On the other hand, pasteurized beverages don’t require preservatives to keep them from spoiling.
Different tea makers use different processes to preserve their end product and meet their specific supply chain needs. Most tea makers don’t discuss how they preserve their product, but I would venture to guess that most products sold on a national level are cold-filled. One exception that comes to mind is Honest Tea which states that they make pasteurized tea.
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