Apple juice is a popular healthy drink that is rich in vitamins and nutrients. But what are the steps to produce apple juice? what equipment do you need to make apple juice?
The production process of apple juice can be divided into the following steps:
- Raw material selection and cleaning: Select fresh and ripe apples and remove rotten and damaged fruits.
- Crushing and juicing: Crush the apples and extract the juice through a juicer.
- Coarse filtration and enzymatic hydrolysis: Remove the pulp and impurities. Some production lines will add enzymatic hydrolysis steps to increase the juice yield.
- Clarification and filtration: Further remove pectin and impurities to make the juice clearer and more transparent.
- Blending and sterilization: Add sugar or other ingredients as needed, and perform high-temperature sterilization.
- Filling and sealing: Fill the processed juice into glass bottles, plastic bottles or Tetra Pak bags and seal them.
What equipment do you need to make apple juice?
The configuration of equipment plays a key role in production efficiency and product quality. The following equipment is mainly required for the production of apple juice.
(1) Necessary equipment
- Apple cleaning equipment: used to remove impurities such as mud, agricultural residues, etc. on the surface of apples.
- Crusher: used to crush apples into puree that is easy to squeeze juice.
- Juicer: Common ones include spiral juicers and belt presses, which are key equipment for extracting juice.
- Enzymatic hydrolysis tank (with stirring and heating functions): used to add enzyme preparations, decompose pectin, and increase juice yield.
- Sterilization equipment: such as pasteurizers and UHT ultra-high temperature sterilization equipment, which kill microorganisms in juice and extend shelf life.
- Filling machine: suitable for juice in different packaging forms, such as bottle filling machines, aseptic filling machines, etc.
(2)Optional equipment
- Metal detector: detects possible metal foreign matter in juice to improve food safety.
- Homogenizer: homogenizes juice to make pulp particles more evenly distributed and taste better.
- Blending tank: used to add sugar, flavors or other ingredients to achieve flavor blending.
Precautions in apple juice production:
- Equipment hygiene management: All equipment must be cleaned and disinfected regularly to avoid cross contamination, especially the parts that come into direct contact with the juice.
- Accurate temperature control: Temperature control during sterilization and filling is crucial. Too high a temperature may affect the taste, while too low a temperature may result in incomplete sterilization.
- Sterilization process monitoring: An online temperature control and time recording system must be equipped to ensure that sterilization meets the standards and avoid food safety hazards.
- Avoid oxidation: Juice is prone to oxidation and discoloration during processing. Appropriately control the processing environment and add antioxidants if necessary.