In the previous article The Process Of A Bottled Juice Production Line, What Is Bottled Juice Production Like? The Introduction Of Juice Filling Machines. What Machines Are Necessary For Juice Filling Line? What Machines Are Necessary For Juice Filling Line? – 2. What Is Juice Filling Machine? How Can I Choose It? We introduced the production process of juice, the juice blending system, and the juice filling machine. These articles mainly focus on liquid juice production. In the market, in addition to pure liquid juices, we will also see juices that contain fruit particulate. Some have more fruit particles, some have fewer fruit particles; Some fruit particles are small, and some are large; The shape of the fruit particles also varies. So how are these juices with fruit particles produced and filled?
First of all, we need to sort the fruit particles in the juice. The fruit particle size of 5 mm is the dividing line. In general, particles under 5 mm can be filled with liquid juice together. That is, one filling machine can complete the filling. Particles larger than 5 mm need to be filled separately from liquid juice. This means that two filling machines are required. Fill a certain amount of fruit granules first, and then fill the liquid juice to reach the standard level with another filling machine.
According to this standard, we can choose eccentric valve filler, large fruit particle filler, and piston filling machine.
When the fruit size is less than 5mm, we can adopt the eccentric valve filling machine. In this case, we only need one filling machine to fill granules and liquid juice at the same time.
The filling port of the ordinary liquid filling machine is centered on the vent and is in an annular shape along the filling valve wall. This filling port is relatively small in size and is only suitable for liquids. When filling juice containing fruit, it is easy to cause the filling valve to clog. The filling port of the eccentric valve is concentrated on one side of the filling valve, that is, the whole filling valve is open on one side. The filling path is larger, and the fruit can pass through without clogging the filling valve.
When the fruit is greater than 5mm, even the filling path of the eccentric valve cannot be satisfied. Now we require a filler with a large aisle. Large fruit fillers meet this requirement. According to the specific size of the fruit, we can customize the large fruit filling machine. The maximum size of fruit just need to be slightly smaller than the bottle. Each filling valve of the large fruit filling machine is equipped with a barrel. When the filling valve goes to the filling station, the barrel is connected with the filling tank, the fruits enter the barrel, and the fruits in the barrel also enter the bottle synchronously under the action of gravity. When the filling valve leaves the filling station, the connection between the barrel and the filling tank is disconnected, and the fruits in the barrel continue to enter the bottle under the action of gravity until there are no fruits in the barrel, and the filling is completed. Therefore, the large fruit filling machine adopts the principle of gravity filling. The large fruit filler guarantees the integrity of the fruits to the greatest extent and does not squeeze the fruits. Moreover, the filling has a wide range of fruit sizes, which is suitable for filling different sizes and types of fruit. The disadvantage of the large fruit filling machine is that the filling volume of the fruit cannot be controlled by the adjustment of the machine. When the user changes the bottle size and the filling volume of the fruit needs to be adjusted, the proportion of the fruit can only be adjusted during the blending phase.
In addition to large fruit filling machines, piston filling machines are also used to fill fruit larger than 5mm. The piston filler uses the principle of the syringe to first pump the fruit into the barrel and then pump the fruit into the bottle to complete the filling. The filling volume can be adjusted by the pumping stroke of the piston. However, the disadvantage of the piston filler is that it will squeeze the fruit to a certain extent so that the fruit cannot be kept intact well. If the fruit is in a fixed shape, such as cube, spherical, etc., it is not suitable for piston filler. Therefore, piston fillers are also more often used for filling sauces and other similar products.
In general, the eccentric valve filling machine is used for filling fruit below 5mm, and the liquid is filled with the fruit together; The large fruit filling machine is used for filling fruit above 5mm, and filling separately from the liquid; The piston filling machine is used for filling fruit above 5mm and sauces, filling separately from the liquid, and is not suitable for fruit with a specific shape.
Now we know how to choose a filler based on the characteristics of the fruit. So how should juice with fruit be blended? The blending of fruit juice is generally the same as that of non-granular juice. It’s just that there is one more fruit granuals processing part.
For juices containing fruit of less than 5 mm and requiring one-time filling, fruit need to be added during the blending phase, and all beverage pumps are replaced with progressive cavity pumps that allow fruit to pass through. The sterilizer should use a tubular sterilizer. After sterilization, it can be filled directly.
For juices containing fruit of more than 5 mm, the processing part of liquid juice is the same as that of regular juice. In terms of fruit processing, it is necessary to cook according to the specific type of fruit, and then mix according to the proportion of filling volume and liquid juice. After that, it can be directly entered into the fruit filling machine for filling.
That’s it for fruit juice filling machines and blending. If you have any other related questions, please contact us. We’re excited to discuss and share with you.