What is your practise on loading paper/plastic pouches for sterilization? Recently we had a discussion on how to load paper /plastic pouches to prevent the plastic side, which does not breath or allow steam penetration, from occluding the paper side. There were three different opinions:

• the individual packages should be placed paper to paper side,
• the pouches should be placed plastic to paper side and
• it can be loaded either way if the basked is not packed to tightly.

As I couldn't find any up to date guidlines on the issue I am looking forward to your answer.

Josy Holdener

Dear Josy,

I would like to advise you to lake a look at the video "sterilization, a view for insiders" that was made by the Dutch RIVM and presented by the ESH. Here you can see what will happen to paper/plastic pouches in the sterilizer. The pouches must be able to "breath". Prevent overloading of the sterilization basket and I would load them almost vertical and paper to plastic, with the plastic side upwards.

Best regards,
René Vis