55% Sugar Solution - Sterilization Behaviour

Hello Gurus,

I would appreciate if the gurus out there will help me in understanding this behavior.

My client has this 55% Sugar solution in water in 10L bottles for sterilization. The fill volume is 8 liters. Temp of sterilization is 122. Time programmed at this temp is 2.5 hours.
When I execute the cycle first time with freshly prepared solution, the time above 121.5C is coming out to be just about 22 minutes.
For subsequent run, if re-use the same bottles from run 1 (after cooling them down to room temp by leaving them at RT and making up the lost volume) the time above 121.5C is about 3 times (66 minutes or more).

What is the reason for this behavior of the re-used syrup solution?

I would like to add a note here. The client will never have this re-use situation. But for pure understanding purpose, I would like to throw this out there for elders/gurus to help me out.

Thanks in advance.

[quote=USFDA]Hello Gurus,

I would appreciate if the gurus out there will help me in understanding this behavior.

My client has this 55% Sugar solution in water in 10L bottles for sterilization. The fill volume is 8 liters. Temp of sterilization is 122. Time programmed at this temp is 2.5 hours.
When I execute the cycle first time with freshly prepared solution, the time above 121.5C is coming out to be just about 22 minutes.
For subsequent run, if re-use the same bottles from run 1 (after cooling them down to room temp by leaving them at RT and making up the lost volume) the time above 121.5C is about 3 times (66 minutes or more).

What is the reason for this behavior of the re-used syrup solution?

I would like to add a note here. The client will never have this re-use situation. But for pure understanding purpose, I would like to throw this out there for elders/gurus to help me out.

Thanks in advance.[/quote]

How are you adding the lost volume? Do you check the specific gravity of the solution prior to autoclaving and then restore the solution back to that specific gravity? or just do it by volume?

helloswagat

Just by volume. I think you hit it right with Specific gravity as one other person also referred to it.
Can you add more to how the specific gravity will have that much effect?

USFDA