Pocket conveyor for blanching

Before pasteurization or sterilization of fruit and vegetables, a procedure referred to as blanching is very often used. The principle of this process is that the material is warmed up for a short period of time and then cooled. The main objective is to inactivate enzymes and release air molecules from the fibre.

The thermal treatment is carried out using steam or hot water bath

During the course of thermal treatment using steam, no water is filled in the bottom of the cabinet, and steam is blown into the two branches of the distribution pipeline under the conveyor, and into three distribution pipes above the conveyor. Thus the hot zone area is evenly filled with steam.

During the course of thermal treatment using hot water bath, the bottom of the cabinet is filled with water. The water bath level is set so that the pocket edges are above the surface. The water is directly heated by the steam blown into the submerged bottom branch of the pipeline that ends with a steam injector.

Vegetables are inserted manually or fed by a conveyor into the pocket conveyor hopper. The hopper is equipped with a bar spreader to ensure even distribution of the material through individual pockets of the conveyor. Having passed the conveyor hopper, the pockets enter a closed heated space. The endless belt with pockets transports vegetables in the upper run for thermal treatment. The cooling zone is situated at the end of the upper run, after which the material is fed onto a belt conveyor. There is a cleaning zone situated in the downward section of the pocket conveyor’s return run. This is where pockets are rinsed using a set of flat jets. This helps remove the rest of the material that does not fall out of the turned pocket. The frame is fitted with removable covers along the entire length of the pocket conveyor return branch. The steam pipeline is connected to the heated area, with the temperature of 133°C and a nominal pressure of 0.3 MPa.

The device is made of stainless steel structure (quality according to DIN 1.4301), including the connecting material of quality A2 and plastic components. All materials used have been certified for direct contact with food.

Type / technical parameters: KBD 74K