Orange juice factory - generic

Innovative helical sterilization technology from JBT’s Stork Food and Dairy Systems (SFDS) business unit is set to be used for the first time for citrus processing in Brazil following negotiations with a national producer, delegates to the recent JBT Citrus Technical Workshop in Brazil learned.

Attendees to the event, which took place on May 31 this year at JBT’s Araraquara facility, were told about the benefits the SDFS heat exchange technology can deliver in terms of maintenance, as considerably less welding and fewer gaskets are required than in conventional systems.

Based on this technology, JBT is planning the launch of the first SFDS pasteurizer for orange juice, which will be manufactured in the Netherlands and Brazil. JBT’s Januário Soligon said that the company was completing negotiations with a Brazil-based customer to introduce the system, adding that no processors in Brazil or any other neighboring market were currently using the SFDS technology for orange juice.

JBT Araraquara seminar

Consistent results
Looking back on JBT’s most recent event in Araraquara, Soligon described it as fantastic in terms of both numbers of attendees and the amount of major citrus processors that were present.

“We discussed several important products related to better yield for juice extractors and our technologies for essential oil extraction, including d-Limonene,” he explained.

“We introduced the MORE system for extracting oil from citrus peel, which is very important for achieving a better oil recovery yield. We also introduced the READYGo d-LIMONENE (skid) system for d-limonene recovery which delivers an efficiency of 95% with high-quality oil extraction.

“The value of essential oils on the market is now between US$25-30 per kilo, so it’s a high value product and all the processors want to go for the maximum yield possible from the fruit.”

The seminar also looked at in-line automation technology, including the JBT finisher automation system which can improve orange juice yield by up to 3%. “We tested this with a customer during the course of a season and the results were very consistent,” added Soligon.

JBT’s next event will be an open house at its Araraquara facility from August 23-26 for existing citrus customers and interested companies and will include presentations on new JBT technologies for the sector.