Cleaning in a fruit-juice operation

REQUIREMENTS

For the production of fruit juices such as apple juice and pear juice, fresh fruit – here apples and pears – is delivered directly to the production. Through pressing, the juice is obtained from the fruit. This is bottled in the production systems.

As a rule, glass bottles from the deposit system are used and refilled. These bottles are cleaned and inspected for breakage or remaining contamination. During cleaning, any labels from a previous filling are also removed. Defective or soiled bottles are rejected.

As everywhere in the food industry, very high hygiene demands apply, especially for the contact areas, i.e. the areas that come into direct contact with the food itself.

The contact areas primarily include the conveyor systems and the actual fruit presses. Since breakage can occur on the conveyor stations, cleaning has to take place without chemicals, quickly and cleanly.

After pressing, the system has to be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed again.

OUR SOLUTION

The low-pressure hot-water cleaning technology works with low pressure of up to 7.5 or up to 14 bar and is thus ideal for use in a production hall, since no splashes occur “right across the production”, and sensitive parts are not damaged.

What is also important in practice is that cleaning can be carried out without any chemicals, since the actual cleaning effect is developed primarily through the high temperatures of up to 95°C – and that entirely without chemicals. As a result, no contamination can occur, and considerable costs are saved.

At the same time, cleaning even at hard-to-reach spots, such as at the labelling system or under the belts, is possible without any problem and is in practice many times faster and more thorough than the usual manual cleaning. This saves working time and thus money.

On top of this, the process has a disinfecting effect, since at a temperature of 95°C germs and bacteria are also killed.

YOUR BENEFITS

• Efficiency/quality: Fast and thorough cleaning. Thanks to various lances and nozzles, easy cleaning even of hard-to-reach or sensitive areas, e.g. under the conveyor belts or at the labelling machines.
• Optimal accessibility: Units are mobile and largely self-contained, and can therefore be driven up to the spots to be cleaned without any problem.
• Easy cleaning in the production hall: no spraying of the cleaning medium right across the production hall, no droplet clouds, no aerosols and much more.
• Considerably more pleasant work than by hand or with chemicals.
• No damage to sensitive parts.
• Cleaning medium: Hot water or deionised water, without added chemicals. Therefore:
• No contamination risk.
• Low costs for procurement and disposal.
• Spontaneous use in an emergency possible at any time.
• Disinfecting effect when cleaning at 95°C.
• Occupational and environmental protection: No chemicals means higher environmental compatibility, higher occupational safety and lower costs.
• Overall: Considerably less working time when cleaning, thus fewer stoppages; better cleaning result; no chemicals, no damage.
• Low investment and hardly any running costs, but in return high efficiency and quality.

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