FBL x parma impianti rivista

ges delivering low viscosity products
suitable for concentration,
with a scraped surface finisher effect.
Still for fruit, alternatively, the preparation
of puree or clear juices,
mainly as far as apples are concerned,
can be contemplated.
As to fruit puree, for which at most a
mild concentration is applied, the
fruit bulk leaving the slicer/chopper
is heated in trough cookers (also a
H.B. type equipment is available like
that for tomatoes). It is then refined
through purpose-built refiners prior
to reaching a unit for pH correction.
Finally it can be conveyed to the
aseptic filling plant identical to that
used for tomato paste.
The production line of clear juices,
whether or not concentrated, change
noticeably. In it juice extraction is
made, in most cases, through continuous
presses with the final step of
the process including some enzyme
treatments combined with flocculant
injection to eliminate even minimal
particles. The juice so obtained can
then be vacuum concentrated, at a
high concentration level, given its
very low viscosity, using an equipment
virtually little compatible, as
much more sophisticated, with that
ordinarily used for tomatoes.
At this point, a phase virtually starts
quite common both for tomato and
fruit, at least as to products commercially
available on the market.
Let’s make a quick review of the
main operations.
Sterilization system in aseptic environment
consisting of aseptic exchangers
(steam chamber connec-
42
tions), fed by a storage tank from
where the product is transferred by
high pressure pump to the heat-exchanger.
Tomato or concentrated
fruit are heated under pressure applying
specific temperatures for
short times, exactly defined as well
as the holding time once the heat level
is reached. Heating is followed,
still in aseptic environment, by a
very quick cooling capable of dropping
temperature from above 100°C
to that of either bag or aseptic tank
filling, at few tens of degrees.
The key principle of this industrial
sector is really the aseptic storage
of finished product where a numberless
variety of containers exists.
Let’s name first of all the tank with a
capacity of tens of tons performing
the first storage, from where the product
is drawn out to be sent to the final
packaging, inside the same processing
plant. Or it can moved to
other places of utilization via truck
loaded aseptic tanks incorporating
modern technologies capable of
avoiding any pollution.
Another method is offered by the filling
of aseptic bags with a capacity
varying from few kilos to one ton.
These bags, if properly stored in
adequate environments, can last
from year to year.
The bottling lines, jar, can or brick
fillings are just the same, even for
milk in the last case.
As previously said, the production
chain is identical after the concentration
stage. This fact leads to con-
siderable savings in amortization
and maintenance costs.
A word, and an important one, must
be put in, because of their consequences,
over the auxiliary technical
services as a whole, in such proposed
case.
Considering the size at present required
for these huge systems, running
for limited periods, the operating
costs for equipment supplying
steam (boilers), carrying out water
treatments (wells, purifyings), delivering
motrice power (electric cab),
performing treatment of waste waters
(water softeners) account for
extremely heavy balance-sheet
items. For them, the plant incidence
on the product cost is by far higher
than that strictly produced by the cost,
f.e. of fuel or EMF.
These costs, the same as those for
staff, necessarily permanent, at least
in part, even during down-times,
often months, can cause the economic
success or loss of the financial
year of a firm
The only goal of these notes, tracing
back, from a technical point of view
to so many articles already published
during the life of the magazine,
is to make the sales offices of the industries
think over and explore new
useful opportunities, if any, for completion
and restyling of already operating
plants. Operations on the
other hand needing a more accurate
analysis of all their many-sided
aspects.