The array of fruits processed into concentrate includes almost every commercially harvested type. The production of fruit juice concentrate involves taking a comparatively dilute feedstock of fruit juice and delivering a uniformly concentrated output. Fruit juice concentrate contains the feedstock fruit juice's solid components and provides more accessible transportation and longer storage life. The method of producing fruit juice concentrates is an excellent way to save money on packaging and transportation. It also ensures that the final goods are of consistent quality. In the meantime, the rise in sugar and acid content favors preservation. Qualified fruit juice concentrate must maintain the same color, taste, and nutrition as the original fruit juice.
Water is removed from freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice to make fruit juice concentrate. The process requires the removal of water through a variety of operations employing purpose-specific equipment. Juice is extracted from various fruits in several ways, specifically adapted for its shape, size, and nature.
Vacuum Concentration
Vacuum concentrate systems, refrigeration-based concentrations, and membrane-based concentrations are the most used fruit juice processing technologies.
Vacuum concentration necessitates heating fruit juice under low pressure to lower the boiling point and allow the water content to evaporate quickly. The most critical and commonly used device in the fruit juice concentration process is vacuum concentration equipment.
Freeze Concentration
Lowering the temperature of fruit juice to ice point is referred to as freeze concentration. Before the concentration of fruit juice exceeds the eutectic threshold, the water content freezes and separates.
Membrane Concentration
Reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration are two forms of membrane technology. It operates based on osmotic pressure. A semipermeable membrane built in the center divides a container into two parts, with each position filled with solution A and solution B separately.
No matter the method used, juice concentration will vary initially due to several natural factors. The concentration process chosen must produce output that will provide product uniformity.
Regardless of the method used for concentrating the juice, inline process refractometers can be used at strategic points in the concentration process to measure the percentage of solids and evaluate equipment performance and product quality.
Inline refractometers produce accurate and repeatable output signals that allow the process to rapidly adjust, opening control valves, adjust the flow, change pressure, or modulate temperature. The use of these instruments provides a continuous measurement of the process variables, ensuring consistency and making the most efficient use of the energy-consuming concentration equipment.
In a high-volume commercial juice production environment, ruggedness, reliability, and accuracy are critical features for an inline process refractometer. While the devices are not inexpensive, their upfront investment pays off quickly in production speed and product quality.
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