Citrus/Tangerine/Mandarin juice production line, Orange juice, as a widely popular beverage, holds an important position in the excellent beverage market. Although its production process may seem simple, it actually involves multiple key steps, each of which requires careful operation to ensure the quality of the final product.
Manufacturer of automatic Citrus Tangerine Mandarin juice production line
Citrus Processing Line Description
Processing citrus fruits differs a lot from processing other kinds of fruits, as citrus fruits have peels and seeds, if we direct mill the citrus and extract juice from the mash, the citrus peels and seeds in the juice will influence the end product’s taste. Due to this feature, we designed a citrus extractor that is especially for citrus fruits, and the extractor can separate the peels, seeds, pulp and juice.
The citrus fruits go through extractors, juice and pulp as the main products to make into drinkable juice, whereas citrus peels and seeds as the by-products can be dewatered via belt press extractor and the final products can be as animals feed.
Before citrus juice extraction, we use the citrus oil extractor to grind citrus oil from citrus peel. Depending on the variety of citrus, 0.5-2% oil will be existed in the citrus oil wash water, through three-phase disk stack centrifuge separator concentration and purification, the pure essential citrus oil is recovered.
Technological processing flowchart of Citus Processing Line
Aseptic/Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice(FCOJ) uses fresh oranges as raw materials, fresh oranges after washing, sorting, sizing, juice extracting, scraping refining, disk separating, and evaporating, the frozen concentrated juice will be pasteurized or without pasteurization, and then filled into composite bags, the end products will be stored in cold temperature -18℃; The aseptic concentrated juice will be sterilized and filled into aseptic bags, and the end products will be stored in room temperature. This processing line can be suitable for orange, lemon, lime or kinnow and other citrus fruit processing. The end product soluble solid is 65-70brix.
NFC orange juice is 100% natural juice without any other ingredients, it is purely natural and can keep the nutrition and flavor in fresh fruits. which also uses fresh citrus as raw materials, after washing, sorting, juice extracting, and separating to get fresh orange juice, then homogenizing and degassing and UHT sterilizing then filling an aseptic brick carton, the whole filling process is aseptic, and the end products can have 12 months shelf life in aseptic processing. The other type is orange juice pasteurizing/UHT sterilizing, then cold filling into gable-top cartons or bottles, this type of juice producing, storage, transporting, and sales distribution process all in 4℃ cold environment. and the shelf life ranges from 14 days to 120 days.
Blended orange juice: The blended orange juice use concentrated orange juice or fresh orange as raw materials, then blend with water, sugar and other ingredients, after homogenizing, degassing sterilizing, then filled into small packages like PET or glass bottles, pouches.
The citrus processing line offers turnkey solutions for clients including citrus juice production, citrus oil recovery, citrus peel and seeds deep processing, With this method, fruit juice producers can considerably enhance the resource utilization and cost-effectiveness of the entire system.
The capacity of the citrus processing line ranges from 10 tons per day to 500 tons per day, the end product that can be produced is NFC citrus juice, frozen orange concentrated juice, aseptic orange concentrated juice, citrus pulp, citrus oil and citrus peel animal feed.
All the citrus processing equipment is CIP capable and made of food-grade SUS304 material, this hygienic advantage ensures the production of optimum products.
The production process of a citrus processing plant typically involves fruit selection and grading, washing, sorting, juice extraction, juice and pulp refining, juice separating and clarification, concentrating and pasteurizationerilizing, filling, and packaging.
The process of Citrus/Tangerine/Mandarin Processing Line juice processing production line
1、 Raw material picking and screening
The production of orange juice begins with the picking of ripe oranges in the orchard. Picking is usually done when oranges are ripe, taste and sweetness are popular. After harvesting, oranges will undergo preliminary screening to remove diseased, damaged, or unqualified fruits, ensuring that the oranges entering the production line are of high quality.
2、 Cleaning and Sorting
The selected oranges will enter the cleaning process, where surface soil, pesticide residues, and other impurities are removed using high-pressure water guns and rotating brushes. Next, oranges will be sorted by size for unified processing in subsequent processing.
3、 Juice Extraction and Filtration
The cleaned oranges are fed into a juicer to extract juice through squeezing or centrifugation. During this process, most of the water and sugar in the orange will be extracted, forming the initial orange juice. Subsequently, the orange juice undergoes multiple filtration processes to remove pulp particles, fibers, and impurities, ensuring its clarity and transparency.
4、 Concentration and blending
The filtered orange juice will enter the concentration stage, where the concentration of orange juice is increased by evaporating water. During this process, it is necessary to strictly control the temperature and time to prevent the loss of nutrients in orange juice. Concentrated orange juice can be blended as needed by adding appropriate amounts of water, sugar, and other ingredients to adjust its taste and sweetness.
5、 Sterilization and filling
The prepared orange juice will enter the sterilization process, where microorganisms are killed through high-temperature instantaneous sterilization or pasteurization, ensuring the hygiene and safety of well-known orange juice. After sterilization, the orange juice will quickly cool down and enter the filling process. Aseptic filling technology is used to pour the orange juice into pre disinfected packaging containers.
6、 Packaging and Quality Inspection
The filled orange juice will be packaged, usually using packaging materials such as paper boxes, plastic bottles, or glass bottles. During the packaging process, a quality check will be conducted again to ensure that each bottle of orange juice meets the quality standards. We will also label and code the packaging for easy identification and traceability by consumers.
7、 Storage and transportation
The orange juice that has undergone quality inspection will enter the warehouse for storage, waiting for subsequent transportation and sales. During storage, it is necessary to strictly control conditions such as temperature and humidity to prevent orange juice from spoiling. During transportation, specialized refrigerated trucks or insulated boxes are also required to ensure the stable quality of orange juice during transportation.
8、 Sales and Consumption
Ultimately, after a series of carefully processed orange juice, it will enter the sales process and be sold through channels such as supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants for consumers to purchase and enjoy. Consumers can learn about the production date, shelf life, and other information of orange juice through the labeling and information on the packaging when purchasing, ensuring that they receive fresh and safe products.
The orange juice processing production line is a complex and delicate process that requires the collaborative efforts of multiple links and strict quality control to ensure the quality and safety of the final product. From picking raw materials to a bottle of orange juice in the hands of consumers, every step embodies the hard work and wisdom of producers.