Bins
The fruit selected for puree is carefully delivered in large bins and released for production only after meticulous re-inspection.
The fruit selected for puree is carefully delivered in large bins and released for production only after meticulous re-inspection.
The fruit is discharged directly into a water bath. As it moves through three washing stations, high-pressure showers and brushes free it of any extraneous matter.
More inspections follow: first automatically (optical and infrared), and then by hand. In this way, damaged fruit and extraneous matter are eliminated.
All stone fruit (peaches, apricots, plums, plums) is pitted so that only pure fruit pulp is processed.
In a highly modern process of cold straining under a vacuum, the peels and cores are removed.
Through rapid heating of the fruit mash, the fruit enzymes are immediately inactivated. As a result, the viscosity of the fruit pulp is preserved.
The fruit pulp is further processed during this production step using sieve sizes ranging from 0.3 to 2.0 mm, depending on customer specifications and use.
The warm fruit pulp then goes through a vacuum degasser. Trapped air is removed to a great extent at this point, thereby preventing oxidation.
The fruit pulp or fruit juice is gently heated to various temperatures, depending on the fruit used, and then cooled down again.
Our products are stored either aseptically (storage capacity of 50,000 t) or non-aseptically, and thus cooled down (storage capacity of 15,000 t), until delivery takes place.
Our products are mixed, cooled and the taste adjusted according to the customer's requirements. Only then are they released for shipping.
Most of our products leave Merano by tanker: whether blended or unblended, they are always carefully loaded and cooled.
Small quantities are shipped in our own 1,000-liter stainless-steel reusable container, or as required aseptically in a non-returnable, 200-liter iron drum.
Fruit residues, representing about 25,000 tons per year, are dried and burned in order to generate steam. In this way we reduce methane gas consumption by 25 per cent.
Fruit for juice concentrate such as apples, pears, peaches and kiwis are delivered loose and unloaded into one of our 14 silos.
Our mills are state-of-the-art devices that comply with the latest technical standards. Here the fruit is ground into fruit mash.
In the mash tanks, enzymes are dosed in for better pressability. After a specified waiting period, the pressing operation begins.
The mash is pressed in one of our 16 Bucher pneumatic presses. Depending on its eventual use, the juice is subsequently stored and concentrated.
During the first step of the concentrating process, the volatile aroma components are evaporated, condensed, and then stored separately until use.
Our two ultrafiltration systems filter any particles out from the juice. The juice is either loaded as clarified juice or concentrated.
In one of our four multistep concentrators, the clarified juice is gently processed, under vacuum, into a full concentrate.
Aromas and concentrates are stored at 4° C in our cold cellar (capacity 15,000 t) until they are further processed and/or shipped.
For the regional market, we fill environmentally friendly returnable glass bottles with premium juices and drinks.
In one of our three multistep concentrators, the pulp is gently processed, under vacuum, into a concentrate.
Our large tank storage facility allows us to guarantee an unaltered level of quality all-year-round, as well as the production of custom-made products.