vegetable_washer | FoodTechInfo.com

Batch Vegetable Washer – Vegetables, Washing, Steam-based

Industry: Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Mfg (NAICS 3114)

NAICS process:

311423 Dried and Dehydrated Products
Process Brief: Fruits and vegetables are scalded or briefly boiled prior to canning or freezing.

Energy source: Hot water

Energy Intensity: 100-500 Btu/lb of fruit or vegetable

Batch

Batch vegetable washers use a horizontal drum circulating in a housing that is fitted with multiple washing nozzles that spray the vegetables during the wash cycle. Batch vegetable washers can process 200-500 pounds of product at a time with a cycle time of 3-5 minutes. Due to limits of throughput and higher material handling requirements, this technology is appropriate only for small packers.

Continuous Basket/Cylinder

Continuous basket/cylinder washers can be adapted to wash the widest range of vegetables and a system can process many different vegetables. Basket systems use a series of tanks and a mechanism to move a basket of vegetables from one tank to the next. The tanks are independent and each may have a different temperature or mix of chemicals to aid cleaning. Hot water is continuously added to the tanks in an overflow system to constantly flush waste from the system. Cylinder systems use long, horizontal cylinders in which the vegetables are tumbled in a bath of water. The tank is inclined to assist the movement of product from inlet to outlet. Water flows opposite the direction of the product to enhance product cleanliness.

Belt Conveyor Washers

Belt conveyor washers use a metal mesh belt to transport the product through tanks of water that gently wash/rinse the vegetables. These systems are less effective than basket systems at removing dirt from the surface of the vegetable but result in less product degradation.