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Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifuges for tomato processing

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Tomatoes are used in huge numbers of food products.

This also means that there are many different types of processinginvolved, and that stringent hygiene standards are required.

Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifuges are one of the few typesof equipment with the versatility and hygiene focus to make thispossible.

Alfa Laval in briefAlfa Laval is a leading global provider ofspecialized products and engineeredsolutions. Our equipment, systems and services are dedicated to helpingcustomers to optimize the performanceof their processes. Time and time again.

We help our customers to heat, cool, separate and transport productssuch as oil, water, chemicals,beverages, foodstuffs, starch andpharmaceuticals.

Our worldwide organization worksclosely with customers in almost 100countries to help them stay ahead.

How to contact Alfa LavalUp-to-date Alfa Laval contact details forall countries are always available on ourwebsite at www.alfalaval.com

CrushingHeating

Fresh tomatoes

Clear juicewith zero mould

Sorting

Refining

Washing

Foodec decanter centrifuge(thickening)

Foodec decanter centrifuge(clarifying) Solid

waste

Turbopress

Pulping

To furtherprocess(addition topeeled tomatoes, dicedtomatoes,etc.)

Rough pulp

Waste to mouldcontrol andjuice recovery

Thick juice

Evaporation

Pasteurizationand aseptic cooling

Aseptic filling in bag, in box or aseptic tanks

2 Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifuges

Hygiene issues are also increasinglyimportant, and the quality and drynessof the processed tomato paste arecrucial parameters in ensuringcommercial success.

The processA wide range of products can beobtained from tomatoes, includingtomato juice, paste, diced/peeledtomatoes, strained tomato pulp, saucesand powder. For the industrial market,tomato paste is probably the mostimportant product because it is used asthe basis for a wide range of otherproducts.

In general, the fruit is washed, sortedand pre-conditioned by crushing,peeling or cutting it to the required size.Depending on the particularrequirements, the pre-conditioned fruitthen undergoes heating, refining,pulping, reconditioning, evaporation,pasteurization and packing.

Separation is a key part of thereconditioning stage of this process. Byremoving any moulds present,separating out the pulp and clarifyingthe juice, the manufacturer can controlthe colour, mould content and viscosityof the final product.

These are the key parameters thatdetermine quality, and thus have aninfluence on value further down thevalue chain.

Industrial processing of tomatoes intopastes, peeled tomatoes in cans,pulps, etc. began in Italy, Portugal,Spain and the USA around 1900. Aworldwide tomato processing industryhas since evolved.

During the last thirty years in particular,many new varieties of tomatoes havebeen developed, mostly with a view tomechanical harvesting, which requiresa very stiff fruit structure.

In order to achieve maximum efficiencyand profitability in dealing with these,manufacturers of tomato productsneed processing equipment that isversatile enough to handle a widerange of different types of products. Itis also important that it is modular inconstruction, to make it easier to dealwith constant changes in marketrequirements.

Benefit from Foodec decantercentrifuges in your tomatoprocessingFoodec decanter centrifuges feature aseries of built-in advantages including● better solids transportation that

enables you to boost solids handling capacity by up to 25% compared with all other designs currently available – at no additional cost

● special sanitary design that enables you to match stringent FDA, 3A and USDA standards. The Foodec design also focuses on ease of cleaning

● an advanced drive system that enables you to operate at any given capacity with significantly lower power consumption than other current designs

● a new control system – the Alfa Laval Decanter Core Controller (DCC) – that reduces your operating costs and gives you even better control over the separation process. This makes it possible to reduce production costs as well as boosting the quality and value of the end product.

Pressing the flesh

Separation plays a major role in theirability to do this, and Alfa Laval Foodecdecanter centrifuges are the idealsolution for this task.

Mould controlIn tomato juice production, the amountof mould present in the juice directlyaffects its quality.

The pre-conditioned fruit is passedthrough a refiner/pulper. The wet cakefrom there can also be re-processed viaa turbopress and a decanter centrifugein order to recover the remaining juice.

Alfa Laval in tomato processingTomato processing is seasonal, with alimited period of only 60–100 days peryear. There are a very large number ofdifferent varieties of tomatoes, and thequality also depends heavily on climaticconditions and weather.

For all manufacturers, the mainrequirement is therefore to have anefficient, reliable and versatileprocessing plant that is in continuousoperation. Manufacturers are constantlyon the lookout for any possible meansto improve both quality and yield.

Alfa Laval Foodec decanter centrifuges 5

To achieve better yield, the refiner andpulper are often used to produce a drycake and high juice yield. This, however,has the drawback of a high level ofmould residue in the juice.

By adjusting the refiner and pulper toproduce a wet cake instead, and thenusing a turbopress and Foodec decantercentrifuge for subsequent processing, amanufacturer can reduce mould contentwith very little loss of juice. Alfa LavalFoodec decanter centrifuges make itpossible to remove all moulds from the juice.

Clear juice can then be mixed with otherproduct in order to reduce the mouldcontent. This kind of efficient mouldcontrol makes it possible formanufacturers to improve the quality,colour and value of their products.

Viscosity controlViscosity is a very important factor inthe production of tomato paste, as ithas a direct effect on the final product.

The tomato juice from the refinernormally contains 38–45% pulp. Theaim is to produce a paste with thegreatest possible level of pulp that canstill be pumped effectively to theevaporator, because this reducesevaporation costs.

The clear juice from the decantercentrifuge can be used to adjust thecolour and viscosity of the paste until ithas the required characteristics.However, it can also be used in otherrelated production processes, such asdiced and peeled tomatoes. Thismakes sure that nothing goes to waste,and also enables companies to diversifytheir product line.

Each individual batch of tomatoes hasits own unique characteristics. Whenprocessing a large batch, the highdegree of controllability available withthe Alfa Laval Decanter Core Controller(DCC) and Direct Drive (DD) gearboxenables the producer to run tests andmake adjustments rapidly andeffectively, with no time wasted inchanging machine settingsmechanically.

Strained tomato pulp (passata)This process is similar to that used fortomato paste. The critical factor,however, is viscosity. The pulp musthave the correct viscosity in order toprevent the serum from separatingwhen the final product is poured.

Here, too, Alfa Laval Foodec decantercentrifuges are ideal because of therapid response and effective viscositycontrol that they make possible.

High-efficiency process flow chart – tomatoes

The Foodec benefits for tomatoprocessing include● up to 25% greater capacity, at no

extra cost● unparalleled hygiene standards,

which mean better product value● lower power consumption, which

means lower operating costs● significantly better control over pulp

viscosity.