Resource Planning For Food Processing-1

Prepared by: G. R. P. K. Perera, Lecturer, CoT, Kandy, Sri

Lanka
Concentration and Evaporation
Concentration
What is meant by term Concentration?
Removal of water by means of evaporation or membrane
filtration in liquid or semi solid foods with minimal
alterations to gain higher solid content.
Examples:
Sweetened condensed milk
Fruit and vegetable juices and nectars
Sugar syrups
Flavored syrups
Jams, Jelly, Source
Pastes (Tomato)
Relationship between Concentration and Evaporation
The activity what we do is evaporation(or membrane
filtration) and then the result is concentration of the
food/liquid.
(The effect of the evaporation is concentration of the
food/liquid.)
Evaporation is removal of water from a liquid using heat to
get concentrated

Evaporatio
n
M.
Filtration

Concentra
tion

A definition for the Evaporation

Removal of water by vaporizing water in liquid or semi solid
foods to gain higher solid content.

Purposes:
-Extend the shelf life (Preservation)
-Reduce weight and volume (Economical
advantages)
. Reduce transport cost
. Reduce handling cost
. Reduce storage cost and space
How do Preservation by Concentration?

Microbe cell
[solute]
[H2O]

[Solute]
[H2O]

Movement of matter from high [ ] to low [ ].

So; water comes out from microbe to external while some
solute transfer into microbe.
This process disturb the microbial metabolic activities and
prevent their growth due to dehydration and solute
imbalance.

Basic factors that affect to rate of evaporation

-Rate at which heat can be transferred to the liquid
-Quantity of heat required to evaporate each kg of water
-Maximum allowable T of the liquid
-Pressure at which the evaporation takes place
-Changes that may occur in foodstuff during evaporation
Methods/Equipments for Concentration
Solar Concentration
e.g. Salt separation from solar heat.
Advantages:
-No power/fuel required

-Low pollution
Disadvantages:
-High time required
-Not suitable for most food
-Cant control

Open Kettle
Use single/double jacketed vat and gas/wood/steam as
heating agent.
e.g. Jam, Cordial, Nectar
Fruit and vegetable syrups
sources and pastes
Advantages:
-Easy to operate/simple technique
-Produce colors and flavors desirable to some
products
Disadvantages:
-High TO and high time damage the foods nutrition
value
-Thickening on walls reduces the heat transferring
rate

Flash evaporator

Use clean steam superheated to above 150oC for direct

contact with subdivided food material.
Use for essence recovery equipment on the basis of
different boiling point between essence and water to
separate volatile flavor constituents.
Thin film evaporator

Food is pumped to a vertical cylinder with rotating element

which spread the food as thin layer on the cylinder wall.
Cylinder is double jacketed construction heated by steam.
Low TO and time within the cylinder reduces the heat losses.
(an advantage)
Vacuum evaporator
Use low TO vacuum evaporator series.
Use for heat sensitive foods
e.g. Instant coffee
Milk powder
Advantages:
-Heat sensitive foods can be evaporated.
-Can gain high solute concentration. (effective)
-High production rate. (efficient)
Disadvantages:
-High capital cost.
NB: When concentrating in lower TO with vacuum may not
destroy microbes sufficiently. So, use of additional
preservation treatment is required.

 Freeze concentration
The components of the solution is frozen at once.
So, the solution is freeze to make tiny crystals of water.
Unfrozen concentrated solution portion is separated from
the whole.
The whole is centrifuged to separate ice crystals and
concentrated solution is passed through fine mash while
crystals retain on the mash.
Repeat this process to get concentrated solution for
several times.
Ultra filtration and Reverse osmosis
(here do not use evaporation technique)
Use ultra filtration membrane which is less tighter and a
reverse osmosis membrane which is tighter than latter.
These are perm selective membranes.
The membranes can be synthetic membranes those made
of cellulose acetate or polyamide etc.
Use for;Fruit juices
Coffee
Tea
Egg white
Soy protein
Enzymes
Whey separation

Advantages:
-Low nutrition loss
-Low pollution of water
Disadvantages:
-Non valuable constituents also concentrated

 Changes during concentration

- Change in color and flavor due to carramalization. It is
good in caramal production/candy (made of sugar and
milk).
-Formation of gritty, sugary jelly or jam. This is ocoured in
over concentration due to sugar cristerlization.
e.g. Sandiness in milk products
-Denaturation of protein results gellation during storage.
e.g. Condenced milk
-Concentration in higher TO may destroy most of nutrients.