For low-output filling of beverage cartons with products containing fruit, Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, has developed a single-flow concept as a stand-alone solution in the process technology environment. The chunks of fruit or the fruit preparation are before any thermal product treatment mixed in a tank with juice to form a finished beverage. This is heated up gently in the downstream shell-and-tube heat exchanger system, before being passed to the aseptic filler.
The entire pasteuriser system, featuring a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, plus the media and energy supply equipment, is pre-assembled on a frame, supplemented by a VarioStore aseptic buffer tank, a product deaerator, and a homogeniser. Thermal product treatment with the VarioAsept J pasteuriser, including a product deaerator, has proved highly flexible in terms of flow rates and product viscosity. This flexibility is attributable not least to the combination of smooth pipes and the cross-corrugated pipes used by Krones at the shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The fruit chunks can measure up to 10 x 10 x 10 millimetres.
When designing the system, special attention was paid throughout to minimising the shear stresses acting on the product. This has been achieved thanks not least to the use of twin-screw pumps, a very low pressure profile over the entire pasteuriser system, and the elimination of control valves. This thermal product treatment concept opens up entirely new possibilities for first-time users to supply the beverage market with ultra-high-quality fruit-based innovations, while at the same time enabling them to produce even quite small batches with viable cost-efficiency whenever necessary.
