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A juicy solution to preserve food drinks
Use of assorted preservatives in processed food for durability has always been a cause for concern specifically among the health conscious people. But, is it possible to avoid such ingredients and ensure longevity of the processed food products?
Durable processed fruit & vegetable juices sans preservatives become a reality
Hyderabad: Use of assorted preservatives in processed food for durability has always been a cause for concern specifically among the health conscious people. But, is it possible to avoid such ingredients and ensure longevity of the processed food products?
The Hyderabad Resource Centre of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) has precisely done this by developing a unique equipment with the capacity to mass- produce preservative–free fruit and vegetable juices.
Experiments have established the fact that juices’ blends churned out from this machine - known as the ultra high frequency heating system - have a much longer shelf life than those products with preservatives. According to RG Math, Senior Principal Scientist at the Hyderabad Resource Centre, who was instrumental in designing the system, the effect of microwave power on the quality of juices were studied during the storage period of 18 months to optimise the rate of throughput, and retention of nutritional factors.
The system located at the Hyderabad centre is now ready for commercial use. “We are hiring out the equipment. Entrepreneurs in this line of business can avail the facility at a reasonable price,” RG Math said and added that CFTRI was also ready to transfer the technology to entrepreneurs who are interested in manufacture of the equipment.
“We have the technology to scale up the capacity of the system customised it in accordance with the customers’ requirements,” he informed The Hans India.
Producing preservative -free highly durable juices is only one of the many stand-apart features compared to its conventional counterparts.
The ultra high frequency heating system can produce 30 litres of juice per hour and 1,000 bottles per day.
The advantages do not end here. The microwave equipment can convert fruit or vegetable into juice within 5 minutes compared to 45 minutes consumed by the conventional food processing systems.
One of the most crucial advantages of processing juices on this system is that the nutrition value retained.
“We have optimised the rate of throughput and retention of nutritional factors, which is considered as major improvement in the efficiency of the microwave treatment and the economics of microwave process having high potential for processing of vegetable and non-acidic fruits,” says RG Math.
Elaborating on the cost-benefit factors, RG Math explained that energy consumption for 1 litre of blend juice was 99 paise compared to around Rs 5 on conventional systems.
“The energy saved during MW heating is approximately 337% and the processing is reduced by three times that that of the conventional system thus contributing to increase in the production of processed juice,” he said and informed that MW system is based on green technology with co2 emission for 1 litre blend being only 113.6g compared to 560g by conventional systems.
