Calculators for food and drink makers

Sous Vide Pasteurization Chart

Pick a product and core temperature to read the USDA FSIS hold time, or work out pasteurization units and F-values for a time and temperature.

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This sous vide pasteurization chart looks up the hold time for meat and poultry from the USDA FSIS cooking guideline tables, and the same tool also works out pasteurization units (PU) and F-values for any time and temperature. Choose a product, enter the fat content for chicken or turkey, enter the core temperature, and read the hold time. It is a reference lookup and an estimate, not a HACCP validation, and the hold time starts once the core reaches the temperature. The tool runs free in your browser with no sign-up. It does not include egg times, because no public FSIS or FDA egg time-temperature values were found to cite.
Sous vide pasteurization chart example

How to use the Pasteurization calculator

  1. Open “What do you want to work out?” and choose “Meat and poultry hold time (USDA FSIS table)” for a chart lookup. For beer or other PU work, choose one of the PU modes instead.
  2. Open “Product” and pick one of four options: “Chicken products, 7-log (FSIS Table 3)”, “Turkey products, 7-log (FSIS Table 4)”, “Meat (beef, pork and similar), 7-log (FSIS Table 2)” or “Meat (beef, pork and similar), 6.5-log (FSIS Table 2)”. Poultry must use the poultry tables.
  3. For chicken or turkey, enter “Fat content (%)”. The tool rounds up to the next column, so 4.2 % is read as 5 %.
  4. Enter “Core temperature to hold” in °F or °C. A value between two rows is read at the row at or below it.
  5. Read “Hold time”, “Table row used” and “Table”. The full table for your product appears below the result.
  6. To test the setup, press the example button “Chicken 5 % fat, 145 °F”. The expected hold time is 9.2 min (552 s).

For PU or F-value work, enter “Product temperature”, “Hold time at that temperature” and any optional fields that appear for that mode.

Use “Copy result” to copy the answer, or “Copy link” to share a link that keeps all your inputs. “Print / save as PDF” prints your inputs, results and steps. “How it was calculated” shows each step with your numbers, and “Reset” clears the form.

What is the sous vide pasteurization chart for chicken?

The chicken chart is USDA FSIS Table 3 in the Cooking Guideline for Meat and Poultry Products (Revised Appendix A), December 2021, FSIS-GD-2021-14. It gives a hold time for each fat column from 1 to 12 %, from 136 to 165 °F (57.8 to 73.9 °C).

How long do I hold chicken at 145 °F (63 °C) to pasteurize it?

Enter 145 °F with 5 % fat chicken, and the tool gives 9.2 min (552 s). The hold time depends on the fat column, so set the fat content first.

What is the pasteurization time for beef at 140 °F?

Beef, pork and similar meat use FSIS Table 2. At 140 °F on the 7-log column, the hold time is 12 min (720 s). Meat needs 0 s at 158 °F and above.

When does the pasteurization hold time start?

The hold time starts when the coldest point, the core, reaches the target temperature. FSIS also recommends limiting the time between 50 and 130 °F to 6 hours or less.

How do I calculate pasteurization units for beer?

One PU is one minute at 60 °C (140 °F). The lethal rate is 1.393 raised to the power of (T − 60), with T in °C, and PU equals time multiplied by that rate. For example, 15 min at 62 °C gives 29.11 PU. The factor 1.393 is the brewing convention (z about 6.9 °C), and the Brewers Association advises choosing D and z for your product. Low-alcohol beer needs more PU.

How do I calculate F-value or F0?

F is time multiplied by 10 raised to the power of ((T − Tref) ÷ z), in minutes at the reference temperature. The defaults, Tref 121.1 °C and z 10 °C, are the F0 sterilisation reference. For a target F0 of 3 min at 115 °C, the hold time is 12.22 min (733.3 s). These modes assume one constant temperature.

What is a z-value?

The z-value is the temperature change that changes a process rate by a factor of ten. It is entered in °C or °F and treated as a difference, so 10 °C and 18 °F are the same size. A smaller z-value means a bigger change per degree.

Sources

Worked examples

InputResult
chicken, 5 % fat at 145 °Fhold 9.2 min (552 s)
meat 7-log at 140 °Fhold 12 min (720 s)
turkey, 8 % fat at 65 °Chold 5 min (300 s)
15 min at 62 °C29.11 PU
15 PU at 145 °Fhold 5.973 min (358.4 s)
F = 3 min at 115 °C, Tref 121.1 °C, z 10 °Chold 12.22 min (733.3 s)
2 min at 70 °C, Tref 70 °C, z 7.5 °CF = 2 min

Calculated by the tool above with these values.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a HACCP validation?

No. The meat and poultry mode is a reference lookup from the FSIS table, and the tool shows a warning saying so. A HACCP validation needs evidence from your own process.

What fat percentage should I use for chicken thigh or turkey?

Use the fat content from your product’s label or from your own measurement. The tool rounds up to the next column, and an entry of 12 % or more, or an unknown value, uses the 12 % column.

Are there pasteurization times for eggs?

Not on this page. No public FSIS or FDA time-temperature values for eggs were found to cite, so the tool does not cover eggs.

How many PU do I need?

The tool does not state a typical target. Enter your own number in “Target pasteurization units (PU)”, and choose D and z values that suit your product, as the Brewers Association advises.

Is the calculator free, and is anything I type uploaded?

Yes, the calculator is free, needs no sign-up, and runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded. Results are estimates.

How long do I hold chicken at 145 °F (62.8 °C)?

The FSIS chicken table gives 8.4 minutes at 1 % fat, rising to 13 minutes at 12 % fat, for a 7-log reduction of Salmonella. The clock starts only when the coldest point of the meat has reached 145 °F.