It is increasingly common for juice processing to focus on causing less damage to the final product, with the aim of obtaining a juice with the least possible damage to it, taking care to maintain the greatest amount of nutrients and vitamins from the fruit, at the same time that it seeks to have an optimal process in the elaboration of the juice.
Juice obtaining process
We will start by defining what a juice is. In the strict sense, it is a liquid that is obtained from the edible portion of a fruit, which, in order to be able to extract it, must be subjected to pressure. Due to the nature of the process, it is very common that the natural juice is cloudy, because it contains pulp or seeds that come from the fruit, it is due to this that the juice must undergo a clarification process, providing better filtration and color of the final product.
There are different ways to carry out this clarification process in the juice, even before obtaining the liquid there are machines that classify the fruit according to its shape, color, size or the defects it may have, an example of which is rot.
The main advantages to carry out the clarification through specialized machinery are:
- Greater performance and productivity.
- Reduction in solids content.
- Homogeneous quality of the product.
- Food safety.
- Better quality in the juice.
One way this clarification can be done is through pectin; It should be noted that this is a structural component in fruits and vegetables. That said, when the juice is obtained from the fruits, pectinases and enzymatic mixtures are added, with the aim of improving the extraction of the juice in terms of color, aroma and flavor, in this way, the filtration and clarification time is reduced as well.
Now, as it was established at the beginning, the clarification of the juice consists of separating the juice from the fragments of the fruit, such as the skin and the seeds. In this sense, what the pectinases achieve is to break the pectin that the fruit naturally contains, causing the juice to have less viscosity and flocculation, resulting in better filtration, and even, in the case of citrus juices, it stabilizes the cloudiness of the juice.
Another way to perform clarification is through a process called membrane filtration. Part of the advantages of clarifying juices through this method is that it requires less energy and cost, in addition to the fact that the temperature during the process is low, so the juice does not suffer thermal damage; what this membrane filtration does in the clarification of the juice is to retain the materials responsible for the turbidity in the juice.
The clarification of the juices can also be carried out through equipment specialized in the subject, which allows a higher yield in the raw material and a lower cost within the production, since labor is not considered. For this process, centrifugal, separating or clarifying machines can be used.
Now that we delve deeper into the clarification of citrus juices, we invite you to download our product catalog, where you will be able to find the equipment that meets the objectives set within your industry, achieving the desired clarification, obtaining a quality product, Great flavor and with an efficient process.
