Coconuts can be processed in a large variety of products: milk, cream, oil, powder, water, copra, dessicated flakes and more. Particularly, coconut water is becoming every day more popular as an healthy beverage and sport drink, since it contains potassium, vitamins A, B1, B2, B5 and C, while it's low in calories and cholesterol free.
Bertuzzi manufactures machines and complete plants for processing coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut water.
Coconut water: extraction and filtration
Coconuts are perforated and positioned to recover water. Extracted coconut water is fed to a filtration system to remove the fragments of the shell originated by the perforation process. The product is extremely sensitive and should be immediately cooled down to 2-4°C in order to avoid microbiological and chemical changes.
Coconut milk: kernel chopping and cream extraction
Nuts are deshelled, pared and then routed to a chopper that assures a very fine particle size. The chopped kernel is sent to an helicoidal extractor where the coconut cream is extracted.
Bertuzzi Chopper model 2
Super Helicoidal Extractor
Pasteurization, separation and cooling
Both coconut milk and coconut water are pasteurized and processed by a high speed separator in order to remove the suspended solids and standardize the product. The products are then collected in insulated stirred tanks to ensure that the next sections can be continuously operated. The same pasteurizer, separator and cooler can be used for processing milk, water and cream.
ThermoFlash plate pre-heater/pasteurizer/cooler
Refrigereted stirred tanks
Coconut water: concentration
To concentrate coconut water, LTCD evaporators are used. Rising film plate evaporators ensure the lowest retention time and temperature, and therefore better organoleptic characteristics.
a two effects rising film plate evaporator model FlashTerm processing fruit juices
Coconut cream can be treated with the same process technology, with the only exception that the indirect heat treatment can be carried out only by a tubular heat exchanger.
Finally, coconut milk is usually homogenized before being aseptically filled, in order to avoid the phase separation of water and fat during storage.
Once sterilized the product can be filled in aseptic bag in drums or in box thanks to Bertuzzi Aseptic Fillers.
Sterilflash plate sterilizer is the best choice for low viscosity juices
Tubular heat exchanger (pasteurizer and cooler) installed in a mutifruit juice production line
Aseptic filler Aseptica Prima during operation
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A small bag of coconut water ready for shipping
Cleaning of the plant
All Bertuzzi lines are designed according to the international food grade requirements and to be fully cleanable by exploiting integrated cleaning procedures and systems or centralized and fully automatic CIP system. The Bertuzzi CipMatic is specifically designed to guarantee a perfect and efficent CIP of the fruit processing plants.
The huge distribution system of Bertuzzi CipMatic 10.000/6x5
a Bertuzzi CipMatic 3.000/3 installed in a juice and milk reconstitution line