Dry heat sterilization as the name indicates, utilizes hot air that is either free from water vapour, or has very little of it, and where this moisture plays a minimal or no role in the process of sterilization.
This sterilization method is often used for heat-stable oils, ointments and powders. Most often, depyrogenation of parental containers is performed utilizing a dry heat oven. Dry heat is considered to be the most reliable method of sterilization of surfaces and utensils that can withstand heat. For dry heat sterilization to be archived a constant supply of electricity is necessary.
Dry heat is believed to cause oxidation rather than denaturation of proteins, although the effect of the presence of oxygen is not significant. Dry heat requires higher temperatures for longer duration than moist heat for sterilization because heat conduction by the former is lower than the later.
In the heat sterilization of foods, control of side reactions is very important in practice. Many reactions, such as destruction of vitamins, oxidation of lipids, and browning, take place during heat treatments.
Dry heat sterilization
