注目情報

Cider Producer Maximizes Yield and Increases Capacity

Cider Producer Maximizes Yield and Increases Capacity with the Oenoflow™ HS System

Overview

Filtration is a key operation in modern cider production to deliver visually bright and shelf stable product. Traditionally, cider clarification has been performed with diatomaceous earth or sheet based filtration technologies. However, with more favorable economics, easier operation and lower waste volumes, crossflow filtration systems like Pall’s Oenoflow XL system have become more widely adopted over the past decade.

 

While the afore-mentioned clarification systems can concentrate to high solids levels, there is still a significant amount of recoverable alcohol in the yeast at the bottom of fermentation or maturation tanks and filtration system concentrates. With Pall’s newest member of the Oenoflow family of systems, the HS system, cider producers can now recover high quality cider from these lees streams to gain up to 4% capacity with no additional capital investment.

 

The Challenge

A cider mill producing 20 million liters of cider per year uses an Oenoflow XL crossflow system for post fermentation clarification. After fermentation and maturation, the Oenoflow system clarifies the cider while concentrating the solids. Even after consistently concentrating up to 25% solids (v/v), the cider losses are in the range of 4%. The cider maker was looking for an economically reasonable way to increase yield.

 

The Solution

To recover additional alcohol from the cider lees, the customer purchased Pall’s new Oenoflow HS or High Solids system. The system employs hollow fiber membranes similar to those already used in their cider clarification application, however, the Oenoflow HS membranes have a wider internal fiber diameter to concentrate the solids up to about 70% by volume. For the new process, after fermentation and maturation, the hard cider at 10% alcohol is filtered by the Oenoflow XL system while the tank bottoms are sent to a lees holding tank that also serves as the feed supply for the Oenoflow HS system.

 

The XL system filtrate or clarified cider is sent downstream for final blending to bottle strength while the concentrate is sent to the lees holding tank to be further concentrated by the HS system. The final HS system concentrate is sent for off-site disposal. A schematic is shown above. The Oenoflow HS system design incorporates diafiltration, a process where water is added to the lees concentrate. Diafiltration “washes out” alcohol from the yeast to increase recovery and improves the return on investment. The resulting alcohol strength of the filtered cider batch is reduced, however, this helps to lower the water required for the downstream blending to bottle strength.

 

By implementing the Oenoflow HS system, the customer can reduce their cider losses from 800,000 liters to approximately 285,000 liters per year. With the cider at 10% strength, this means alcohol losses of 28,500 liters per year. By adding diafiltration, the alcohol losses can be further reduced to approximately 3,500 liters per year resulting in a system payback less than a year. Compare the losses for the process with and without the Oenoflow HS system in the tables below.

 

In addition to the added value from the recovered alcohol, the customer was able to realize further benefits. They increased their finished cider capacity without the need for additional capital investments like fermentation tanks and the associated equipment. Without diafiltration, the HS system alone increased capacity by 2.6%. Considering diafiltration, the cider capacity increased by 3.8%. The final concentrate or waste volumes were also reduced therefore lowering the cost for off-site disposal.

 

The Benefits

The benefits realized upon implementation of the Oenoflow HS system in this application include:

 

  • Alcohol losses decreased from 80,000 liters per year to approximately 3,5000 liters per year
  • 3.8% increase in finished cider capacity without additional capital investments like fermentation vessels and the associated equipment
  • Attractive investment with payback less than 1 year
  • Lower concentrate volumes for reduced off-site disposal costs
  • Automated and controlled process

 

This case study has been replicated at other cider producers of similar scale with comparable economic drivers.

 

About Pall Corporation

Pall Corporation is a global filtration, separation and purification leader providing solutions to meet the critical fluid management needs of customers across the broad spectrum of life sciences and industry. We work with our customers to advance health, safety and environmentally responsible technologies. Pall Food & Beverage provides products and services to ensure product quality and maintain process reliability in beverage and food production. Our solutions also assist in consumer protection, waste minimization and reduction of operating costs.



TFF Technology Increases Yield and Reduces Waste Streams

Up to 80% of the extract contained in the surplus yeast that collects at the bottom of tanks after fermentation and maturation can now be recovered rather than disposed of. Beer can be recovered and blended back into the brewing process at a ratio of up to 5% without negatively influencing the beer quality, increasing the yield and reducing the total beer volume needing to be produced. This represents a lower CO2 footprint, reduced water usage, and a lowering of production costs, plus the minimized waste stream reduces disposal costs and ensures a lower level of BOD’s and COD’s are returned back into the environment.
Up to 80% of the extract contained in the surplus yeast that collects at the bottom of tanks after fermentation and maturation can now be recovered rather than disposed of. Beer can be recovered and blended back into the brewing process at a ratio of up to 5% without negatively influencing the beer quality, increasing the yield and reducing the total beer volume needing to be produced. This represents a lower CO2 footprint, reduced water usage, and a lowering of production costs, plus the minimized waste stream reduces disposal costs and ensures a lower level of BOD’s and COD’s are returned back into the environment.
詳細を見る

Craft Brewery Preserves Image and Limits Losses

Although beer is restrictive to bacterial growth due to its low pH, ethanol concentration, and low oxygen content, the presence of certain beer spoilage bacteria including Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Pectinatus, and Megasphaera can generate off-flavors, turbidity and acidity. Such quality deficiencies render the product unacceptable and often result in high economic losses and negative brand image. Throughout the production process, undesirable microbial contamination must be prevented to achieve the required final beer quality. Such contamination may originate from ingredients (including yeast), air and water utilities coming into contact with the product, and the environment.
Although beer is restrictive to bacterial growth due to its low pH, ethanol concentration, and low oxygen content, the presence of certain beer spoilage bacteria including Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Pectinatus, and Megasphaera can generate off-flavors, turbidity and acidity. Such quality deficiencies render the product unacceptable and often result in high economic losses and negative brand image. Throughout the production process, undesirable microbial contamination must be prevented to achieve the required final beer quality. Such contamination may originate from ingredients (including yeast), air and water utilities coming into contact with the product, and the environment.
詳細を見る

Pall Aria™ System Rescues Bottled Spring Water Producer from Plant Closure

Spring water is a valuable natural resource, which requires good purification treatment before appearing on grocery store shelves as high purity, visually pleasing bottled product. Filtration is a key process step required to achieve consistently high product quality. The costs associated with filtration may be substantial, depending on source water quality. Disposable filters are a technically sound solution but their use may become economically unsustainable in the face of difficult or variable quality source water.
Spring water is a valuable natural resource, which requires good purification treatment before appearing on grocery store shelves as high purity, visually pleasing bottled product. Filtration is a key process step required to achieve consistently high product quality. The costs associated with filtration may be substantial, depending on source water quality. Disposable filters are a technically sound solution but their use may become economically unsustainable in the face of difficult or variable quality source water.
詳細を見る

Microflow System Offers 10 Months Payback in Cheese Brine Purification

Salting by immersion in brine is used for many varieties of cheese worldwide. During repeated immersions fat, curd particles and microorganisms from the cheese plus the accumulation of proteins and other components builds up a nutrient-rich environment for the salt resistant microorganisms. Reused brine may then become a reservoir of unwanted microorganisms, such as gas- or pigmentproducing bacteria, yeast and mold, or salt resistant pathogens, cross-contaminating the cheese and impacting their quality. Good control of the brine and the brining operation is essential to ensure consistent daily production. Additionally, brine disposal is coming under increasing focus. High disposal costs or volume limitations in specific areas are driving the demand for greater brine reuse, to generate operating cost savings and minimize the plant environmental footprint.
Salting by immersion in brine is used for many varieties of cheese worldwide. During repeated immersions fat, curd particles and microorganisms from the cheese plus the accumulation of proteins and other components builds up a nutrient-rich environment for the salt resistant microorganisms. Reused brine may then become a reservoir of unwanted microorganisms, such as gas- or pigmentproducing bacteria, yeast and mold, or salt resistant pathogens, cross-contaminating the cheese and impacting their quality. Good control of the brine and the brining operation is essential to ensure consistent daily production. Additionally, brine disposal is coming under increasing focus. High disposal costs or volume limitations in specific areas are driving the demand for greater brine reuse, to generate operating cost savings and minimize the plant environmental footprint.
詳細を見る

Distillers Improve Quality While Reducing Operating Costs with SUPRApak™ Technology

Filtration of spirits can be a challenging task. It is essential to remove contaminants that may cause turbidity while retaining the quality enhancing components in the product. Filter sheets are the traditional method for achieving this delicate balance. Sheets are comprised of a unique matrix of materials that provide an excellent combination of adsorption and depth filtration, making them an ideal solution for turbidity reduction and haze removal in spirits. Filter sheets are available in multiple grades to cover a wide range of applications from filtration of cordials to chill haze reduction in brown spirits to particle removal in white spirits. Additionally many plate and frame filter units have the flexibility to add or remove sheets to suit the batch size, flow rate or the specific product to be filtered.
Filtration of spirits can be a challenging task. It is essential to remove contaminants that may cause turbidity while retaining the quality enhancing components in the product. Filter sheets are the traditional method for achieving this delicate balance. Sheets are comprised of a unique matrix of materials that provide an excellent combination of adsorption and depth filtration, making them an ideal solution for turbidity reduction and haze removal in spirits. Filter sheets are available in multiple grades to cover a wide range of applications from filtration of cordials to chill haze reduction in brown spirits to particle removal in white spirits. Additionally many plate and frame filter units have the flexibility to add or remove sheets to suit the batch size, flow rate or the specific product to be filtered.
詳細を見る

Fermentation Broth Clarification Systems for Food and Feed Ingredients Manufacturing

Producers of bulk food and feed ingredients such as amino acids, organic acids, and vitamins use fermentation as the basis of their production. Today’s modern industrial biotechnology processes use carefully selected and purified microbial cell cultures to produce an ever-increasing variety of ingredients and increase productivity. During fermentation, the microorganisms multiply in industrial bioreactors, utilizing a carbohydrate source for energy. The course of microbial growth progresses under well-controlled conditions of aeration, agitation rate, temperature, pH and other parameters. Fermentation can last from a few hours to several days. The metabolic end products produced by the microorganisms are the basis for many ingredients used today.
Producers of bulk food and feed ingredients such as amino acids, organic acids, and vitamins use fermentation as the basis of their production. Today’s modern industrial biotechnology processes use carefully selected and purified microbial cell cultures to produce an ever-increasing variety of ingredients and increase productivity. During fermentation, the microorganisms multiply in industrial bioreactors, utilizing a carbohydrate source for energy. The course of microbial growth progresses under well-controlled conditions of aeration, agitation rate, temperature, pH and other parameters. Fermentation can last from a few hours to several days. The metabolic end products produced by the microorganisms are the basis for many ingredients used today.
詳細を見る

Cider Producer Maximizes Yield and Increases Capacity with the Oenoflow™ HS System

Filtration is a key operation in modern cider production to deliver visually bright and shelf stable product. Traditionally, cider clarification has been performed with diatomaceous earth or sheet based filtration technologies. However, with more favorable economics, easier operation and lower waste volumes, crossflow filtration systems like Pall’s Oenoflow XL system have become more widely adopted over the past decade.
Filtration is a key operation in modern cider production to deliver visually bright and shelf stable product. Traditionally, cider clarification has been performed with diatomaceous earth or sheet based filtration technologies. However, with more favorable economics, easier operation and lower waste volumes, crossflow filtration systems like Pall’s Oenoflow XL system have become more widely adopted over the past decade.
詳細を見る

TAB Filtration Significantly Improves Ready to Drink Tea Quality and Yield

Ready to drink tea, fruit juices and drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and other beverages are subject to spoilage due to the presence of heatresistant, acidophilic bacterial spores (TAB). The thermoacidophilic spores may originate either from exposure to agricultural raw materials such as in fruit juice production, or from contamination in the beverage ingredients, such as sweeteners, juice and tea concentrates, or flavors, essences, and colors from natural extracts.
Ready to drink tea, fruit juices and drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and other beverages are subject to spoilage due to the presence of heatresistant, acidophilic bacterial spores (TAB). The thermoacidophilic spores may originate either from exposure to agricultural raw materials such as in fruit juice production, or from contamination in the beverage ingredients, such as sweeteners, juice and tea concentrates, or flavors, essences, and colors from natural extracts.
詳細を見る

Cross-flow Lees Filter Experience Delivers Efficiency and Economy at Yalumba

Recovery of wine from lees represents one of the most challenging forms of filtration faced by wineries. The high concentration and variability of the suspended solids limit the suitable filtration technologies, while strict environmental regulations and sustainability programs are increasing pressure to reduce waste volumes. Traditionally, lees filtration is performed with filter aid based systems like rotary vacuum drum (RVD) or chamber press filters. While these systems typically have good volumetric recovery of the wine from the solids, there are some inherent drawbacks that can affect wine quality. The open design allows for oxygen pick-up and the recovered wine often needs further processing. The wine is typically downgraded in value and used in blends instead of added back to the original batch.
Recovery of wine from lees represents one of the most challenging forms of filtration faced by wineries. The high concentration and variability of the suspended solids limit the suitable filtration technologies, while strict environmental regulations and sustainability programs are increasing pressure to reduce waste volumes. Traditionally, lees filtration is performed with filter aid based systems like rotary vacuum drum (RVD) or chamber press filters. While these systems typically have good volumetric recovery of the wine from the solids, there are some inherent drawbacks that can affect wine quality. The open design allows for oxygen pick-up and the recovered wine often needs further processing. The wine is typically downgraded in value and used in blends instead of added back to the original batch.
詳細を見る