Although often used interchangeably, soup and broth are not exactly the same. Soup is a dish made of broth with one or more solid ingredients cooked in it, while broth is simply the liquid that results from cooking or seasoning certain foods.

As specialists in designing and manufacturing autoclaves for the pasteurization and sterilization of preserves and prepared dishes, in this text, we’ll cover the key aspects to ensure your soup or broth retains all its organoleptic properties and is ready for safe commercial distribution.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the soups and broths discussed here are gourmet, meaning they’re produced in small batches with high-quality ingredients rather than mass-produced.

Broths and soups: Quick and nutritious

The variety of broths and soups available on the market is endless. Like prepared meals, these products offer a way to:

Enjoy a healthy, nutritious meal in just minutes when you don’t feel like cooking or don’t have the time.
Use up seasonal vegetables, surplus produce, or items that may not look as visually appealing.
Support a varied diet, as they allow for a mix of different ingredients.

Additionally, broths are a great way to add flavor to stews and dishes without the need to simmer the liquid for hours beforehand.

The nutrients and properties of each soup or broth depend on the ingredients used. To learn more, we encourage you to take a look at the various food sterilization articles we’ve prepared.

Consumption of broths and soups

You may be among those who are skeptical about packaged broths and soups, believing they must contain preservatives for shelf stability and that they can’t offer the same nutrients and minerals as slow-cooked homemade recipes.

At TERRA Food-Tech^®, we want to clarify that these are myths about preserves and prepared foods. Thanks to the thermal treatment that eliminates potential microorganisms, spores, and enzymes, and the hermetic sealing process, food spoilage and contamination are prevented. This often makes it entirely unnecessary to use preservatives to extend shelf life.

The Mediterranean Diet Foundation recommends consuming broths or soups four or more times a week. While nutrition experts prefer homemade broths and soups, if you choose preserved versions, they advise opting for low-salt options made only with unprocessed ingredients.

As for market trends, Market Research Future predicts that the broth and soup market will grow at a compound annual rate of 5.4% through 2027, generating over 19 million dollars between 2019 and 2027.

With increasingly busy lifestyles, a reduced interest in some household tasks, and the presence of women in the workforce, there is growing demand for convenient foods and prepared dishes.

Moreover, within the broth and soup sector, there is a noticeable upward trend in products marketed as healthier, made with organic ingredients and free from preservatives and artificial colors.

Types of broths and soups

As mentioned earlier, broths and soups are not exactly the same product. However, they are traditionally classified into two main groups based on density:

Clear soups

These are the most liquid as they contain no thickening agents. The stock or broth they are made from determines their flavor. This category includes consommés and broths.

Thick or creamy soups

Once the various ingredients, usually vegetables, are cooked, they are blended, often with cream or a roux (a mixture of flour and fat) for thickening.

These soups are opaque with a creamy, thick consistency.

Examples in this category include vegetable creams, purées, bisques, and fumets.

This category is extensive and deserves its own section. For more information on the sterilization of creams and purées, we recommend reviewing our specific articles for creams and purées.

Hearty soups

This category includes stews and hearty soups with body, in which the ingredients are cooked directly and are not blended.

Additionally, based on serving temperature, soups can also be classified as hot or cold, with cold soups served chilled, such as gazpacho, salmorejo, or vichyssoise.

Lastly, although not our focus here, it’s worth mentioning instant soups, which are typically dehydrated or concentrated and require dilution in water before consumption.

Prepared broths and soups

There is a wide variety of gourmet broths and soups on the market. Among the most common broths, you’ll find:

Chicken
Meat
Fish
Vegetables
Seafood

The most common soups available in supermarkets or gourmet stores are typically chicken and vegetable.

As mentioned, our focus here is on gourmet broths and soups—products made with high-quality ingredients and slow-cooked to perfection, without haste.

Remember:

To market gourmet broths and soups, these products must be pasteurized or sterilized in accordance with current health and hygiene regulations, ensuring they are safe for consumption.

How to produce gourmet broths or soups in preserves

Preparing gourmet broth and soup preserves is quite simple. First, thoroughly clean the ingredients and then cook according to your preferred recipe.

Finally, you can proceed to seal the preserve hermetically and apply a thermal treatment to ensure proper preservation.

Sterilization of broths and soups

While there are many industrial broths and soups on the market treated with UHT (ultra-high temperature) processing—heating the product between 135°C (275°F) and 150°C (302°F) for 2 to 5 seconds to destroy all potential microorganisms—our focus here is on gourmet products sterilized or pasteurized using an autoclave.

When selecting a thermal treatment, it’s essential to consider the most critical ingredient in the recipe, adjusting the parameters based on its characteristics to ensure safe consumption.

Sterilization uses temperatures above 100°C, effectively eliminating nearly all microorganisms and extending the product’s shelf life without refrigeration.

However, pasteurization employs lower temperatures, which eliminate most microorganisms but not their spores, resulting in a shorter shelf life and requiring refrigerated transport and storage.

Once your gourmet broth or soup is prepared, it’s recommended to sterilize it in the autoclave as soon as possible to prevent microorganism growth during the cooling period.

To market your gourmet broths and soups, you must comply with food safety, quality, and hygiene regulations for preserved and prepared foods. This means it is mandatory to apply a thermal treatment using professional equipment and to record the results of the treatment applied to each batch, as is done with our TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves.

pH of gourmet broths and soups

The pH of a food determines the temperature and duration required for thermal treatment, as it affects the types of microorganisms that can grow. A lower pH means higher acidity, which inhibits microbial growth. Conversely, a higher pH is less acidic and more conducive to growth.

To measure the pH of your gourmet broth or soup and determine the exact acidity level of the mixture, we recommend using a pH meter, as the final value will be the result of the combination of different ingredients.

Typically, broths and soups have a pH between 5 and 6. With a nearly neutral pH, they can be susceptible to microbial growth, making it essential to apply an appropriate thermal treatment.

F₀-P₀ values for the sterilization of broths and soups

The F₀ and P₀ thermal values depend on various factors, including the type of product, its ingredients, pH, and prior preparation. F₀ values pertain to sterilization at temperatures above 100ºC, while P₀ values apply to pasteurization at temperatures below 100ºC.

To determine the appropriate values for your recipe, you’ll need to measure the pH after preparation, conduct follow-up testing to assess the entire process, and select the most suitable F₀-P₀ values for your gourmet broth or soup.

Since the pH of broths and soups is typically above 4.5, a sterilization treatment at around 112-115ºC with an F₀ value between 8 and 10 is generally recommended.

Common issues in the sterilization of gourmet broths and soups

The main issue in sterilizing gourmet broths and soups is that using excessively high temperatures or extending the time beyond recommended levels can degrade both flavor and color. To avoid this, the exact combination of time and temperature must be applied.

For cold soups (gazpacho, salmorejo, ajo blanco, etc.), the process is more challenging, as both pasteurization and sterilization can produce an overcooked taste.

During sterilization, liquid moves from bottom to top, with hot liquid rising and cooler liquid descending. This causes the temperature inside the preserve to vary. To accurately monitor the exact temperature applied, it’s essential to position the flexible probe correctly in the thermal center, about ⅓ up from the base of the container. This is because, in liquids, the geometric center and the thermal center are not the same.

After sterilizing and resting your broth or soup, you might notice the liquid separates into layers. This natural phenomenon can occur due to protein coagulation or the separation of fats and liquids, but it’s not an issue with the treatment or autoclave. Therefore, it’s recommended to shake the product before consumption.

Lastly, remember that broths and soups made with various ingredients can allow for the growth of aerobic and anaerobic spore-forming organisms, yeasts, molds, and non-spore-forming bacteria. It’s essential to determine the F₀-P₀ values to apply to each product to ensure quality and safety, as well as to minimize potential changes in the product’s organoleptic and nutritional properties.

Recommended containers for sterilizing broths and soups

Gourmet broths and soups are typically packaged in glass bottles, though there are other options, such as flexible pouches or cans, although these may not provide the same aesthetic appeal. Before choosing, we recommend carefully considering the pros and cons of each type of container and assessing which best aligns with your cost requirements and the brand image you wish to project.

Whichever container type you choose, rest assured that our autoclave is suitable for processing any kind of packaging.

If you opt for glass containers, remember to leave a gap between the soup or broth and the lid when filling the bottle to ensure a hermetic seal and allow space for the food to expand when heated during the thermal treatment.

Sterilization of broths and soups with TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves

TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves offer the ability to cook products before subjecting them to thermal treatments like pasteurization or sterilization. Thanks to the counterpressure they generate, they prevent container deformation. To avoid undesirable overcooking, these autoclaves feature a rapid cooling system that starts immediately after the thermal treatment.

If you are looking for reliability, safety, and efficiency in producing gourmet preserves, a food autoclave is the ideal choice.

With TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves, you can not only sterilize but also cook and pasteurize—all in a single machine.

Using our food autoclaves ensures compliance with safety, quality, and hygiene regulations for canned foods and prepared dishes. They are essential for those who wish to market these products.

TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves were created to meet the needs of micro-entrepreneurs, chefs, cooks, farmers, livestock producers, and social enterprises who have made gourmet preserves their life’s work.

Success stories of gourmet soups and broths

In the market, you’ll find a wide variety of gourmet broths and soups that rival homemade recipes. Made with top-quality ingredients, they contain no artificial colors or preservatives. Visit our success stories section to learn about the experiences of some of our clients.

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