With today’s article, we want to delve into the food industry and explore one of the areas of application for pressure filters: pectin processing.
As we mentioned in the Food & Beverage news, the food industry requires different types of filtration equipment.
Usually the most commonly used solutions are:
- rotary filters
- horizontal filters
- pressure filters
Let’s find out more about pectin processing.
Pectin processing
If you don’t work in the food industry, chances are you have never heard of pectin. Let’s find out together what it is and how it is processed.
Pectin is a polysaccharide. Specifically, it is an indigestible sugar that is to all intents and purposes a soluble fibre.
This substance is found in many fruits and vegetables, such as:
- lemons and citrus peel in general
- apples
- apricots
- cherries
- prunes
- berries
- carrots
Due to its excellent gelling and texturising capabilities, pectin is widely used in the fruit processing and confectionery industries, as well as in the dairy industry.
For example, this molecule is often used during the preparation of yoghurt, gummy sweets, dehydrated fruit snacks, jams, fruit juices.
In addition, pectin is also used as a thickening agent in specific pharmaceutical applications.
The main property of this molecule is that it binds with water and other sugars to form dense, sticky substances of a gelatinous consistency, but it is not the only one.
In fact, it also has another important property: it has very low affinity for heavy metals. This means that its benefits are minimally impaired even if it is extracted from fruits grown in environments subject to moderate pollution.
How pressure filters work for pectin processing
Having reached this point, let us see what horizontal pressure filters used in pectin processing are and how they work.
Horizontal pressure filters used in pectin processing consist of a cylindrical vessel containing:
- of filtering leaves
- a filtrate collector, which serves to merge the filtrate into a single output source
- a flushing device, which is essential to restore filtration efficiency at the end of each cycle
In general, leaves are round, cloth-covered filter elements capable of filtering incoming sludge from both sides.
The filtrate collector, on the other hand, is a reinforced tube that performs the dual function of supporting the filter leaves and transferring the filtered liquid to the outlet.
Finally, the flushing system consists of a horizontal tube located at the top of the tank.
The hoses are equipped with special sprayers that can launch a strong jet of blades onto the filter leaves.
After removal of solids and, if present, pre-coating, the leaves are perfectly clean and ready for a new filtration cycle.
During the filtration cycle, the product is sent through pumps to the inlet flange. At this point, the solids are retained by the filter leaves, while the liquid passes through the fabric to the outlet flange.
When the differential pressure reaches ~ 2.5 barg, the inlet pumps are stopped and the filter leaves must be flushed.
Flushing restores the filtration capacity and returns the differential pressure to its initial value.
Within our range of filtration solutions, we have horizontal pressure filters that can be used for pectin processing.
In fact, depending on the customer’s application area, we are able to produce carbon or rubber tanks.
In addition, we design vessels according to both ASME VIII Div.1 and PED design codes. At the customer’s request, we can also manufacture vessels in AISI 304/304L and AISI 316/316L.
Contact us for more information on our complete range of filtration solutions.
