The processing and production of juices in the juice plant in Kolkata goes through several steps. Read this to know about it.
Has anyone ever wondered how the fruit juice that one drinks is actually made? In every processing plant like the juice plant in Kolkata, there are technological lines for the production of juice and concentrates. Here is a detailed and step wise procedure which is followed inside such processing plants.
1. Buying raw material
The production of concentrated juices begins with the purchasing of raw material. Firstly one has to verify the food in terms of the quality before they are unloaded. The fruits should look ripe and healthy. There are two main methods of unloading- the hydro-unloading method also known as the wet method and the dry method. The manufacturers use both these methods for unloading and transporting the apples to the pre-production warehouse.
The process followed in the hydro-unloading system is as follows-
• water cannons which can be automatically controlled and is used for rinsing the fruits
• operators room and cabinet for system operation
• vertical transport of raw material through a bucket conveyor
The delivery of the dry unloading system include-
• a hydraulic tipper for vehicles.
• Spiral sorters which separates the impurities
• diagonal belt conveyor
• an unloading belt conveyor which directs the raw materials to the chambers for storage
The washing of the fruits are done in this three stage method-
• during the time of hydro transport from the silos
• water spraying is done in front of the vertical elevator, fruits are transported to the inspection belt
• in the end, there are tables where spray nozzles are installed
Now the fruits are transported to the section where the pulp is prepared.
2. Pulp processing and preparation from fruits
The fruits are taken out from the storehouse and moved to the sorting units, also known as the dosing units. Their function is to dose the fruits evenly to the vertical screw feeder, also called the elevator. These units have an individual design, adjusted according to the capacity and the workload of the float-able chutes and the elevator. A feeder is used to transport the fruits and is made out of acid proof material suitable for processing food. It is transported to the inspection belt where the staff members inspect them and discard the rejected material.
The material which has been sorted falls inside the mill and the pulp is obtained following certain parameters. A membrane pump is used which help in smooth working of the pressing process. The pulp is now pumped into tanks.
3. Yielding the juice
The process of extrusion begins with pre-filling. The pulp is put inside a closed cylinder and is then filled up with pressure. A fully automated procedure, the operation of pressing takes place now. The juice is extracted and flown through filtering elements into encased chambers in the resistance and press-down boards. The rotating cylinder makes the pulp lose, therefore maximum pressing efficiency is guaranteed. The closed system assures that the process is hygienic. He juice which is pressed will then flow into intermediate tanks.
4. De-aromatisation and pasteurization
the unclarified juice is directed into area for pasteurization which is done in temperatures under 95-105 degree Fahrenheit. The levels to be achieved include – inactivate the enzymes, obtain microbiological stabilization of the juice, protein denaturation and starch gelatinization. Aromatic substances are also evaporated.
5. Ultra filtration
it begins with the pumping of the juice which is unclarified. They are taken from the deceptiniszation tanks to the batch tanks. A highly powerful centrifugal pump is used to pump the juice with high velocity membrane modules. The liquid penetrates through this. The product is now ready and moved into permeate tanks.
6. Concentration
The juices are condensed by feeding them into columns which are heated from the outside. It reaches the boiling point, the liquid evaporates and moves into the next level of condensation. The vapors get directed into the separator, the product obtained goes through several other stages of evaporation unless the right concentration degree is achieved.
The condensed juice is now pumped into pipelines which goes into the equalization tanks and then the storage tanks.
7. Storage
Archiving begins which is done with the help of pipelines. The condensed juice is cooled down to a minimum temperature of 5-8 degree Celsius. The process of standardization controls and checks the quality and other parameters. Laboratory tests are also conducted to check the acidity levels, colour, etc.
The concentrations are now distributed through the medium of equalization tanks. The controlling of load batches is done through this automated process. Since there is no excess, cleanliness can be maintained and the filling of the trunk comparatively takes less time.
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