Introduction Of Fruit Pulp/Puree Production Process

Fruit pulp/puree are the edible parts of fresh fruits and vegetables that are beaten/pulped into juice-containing slurry products, which are rich in pulp and fruit fiber, retaining the nutrient content and fruit fiber to the greatest extent. The raw fruit puree retains the sugar, amino acids, vitamins and minerals contained in the fresh raw materials. The flavor and nutrition are very close to fresh fruits, which can quickly replenish human nutrition and energy. Common fruit pulp products include mango puree, berry puree, peach puree, kiwi puree, guava puree, banana puree, carrot/tomato pulp etc.

Purées as a product group differ significantly from juices because all the processing steps involve pulp that is highly viscous. This represents an end-to-end challenge for the equipment used. We can provide you with the full range of equipment and process modules you need for processing purée effectively and reliably. This gives you a versatile set-up designed for maximum up-time, along with the ability to achieve prime-quality purées with low operating costs.

Purée is normally produced as either single-strength or concentrated. There is particular demand for concentrated purée because it reduces both shipping and storage costs, as well as ensures more stable products in aseptic bags.

Depending on specific purée requirements, the mash can either be extracted using hot break or cold break methods, depending on whether viscosity or color/taste are prime considerations. To ensure maximum yield, the actual extraction takes place in a double-stage pulping machine.

A special decanter centrifuge that ensures exceptional levels of hygiene is used to reduce the pulp to the desired specifications. When processing purée made from tropical fruits like mango and banana, this is also the most efficient way to remove any black specks that may be present.

Most of the fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, mango, guava, passion fruit, papaya, kiwifruit, etc. can proceed into the fruit puree.

The capacity for the fruit pulp processing plant is from 1 ton per hour to 50 tons per hour.  The fruit puree can be filled into aseptic bags in drums, bag in boxes, bottles, cans or pouches.

Fruit purees are mainly used for producing smoothies, desserts and fruit desserts. It is often worth concentrating a fresh puree from its original exact content to around 30 Brix. Some kinds of enzymes can be dosed into the fruit mashes to increase the homogeneity of the fruit purees.

Fruit puree processing plants include fresh fruit and vegetable washing and sorting machines, peeling(pitting) and crushing machines, fruit pulping and refining machines, fruit puree separating and filtering machines, fruit puree standardization machines, and fruit puree homogenizing, sterilizing and filling machines.

We offer a turnkey project fruit puree processing lines, fruit juice processing line and machine!

Fruit purée: it is the unfermented but fermentable product obtained by suitable processes e.g. by sieving, grinding, milling or pulping the edible part of the whole or peeled fruit without removing the juice. It is made by blending or mashing the whole fruit (minus the seeds and skin), resulting in a thicker, smoother, and more viscous texture. It retains more of the fruit’s fiber and can have a more concentrated flavor and consistency.

Fruit Juice: Fresh fruits are processed into unfermented juice through physical or chemical methods (fruit pressing, juice extraction), with the color, flavor and soluble solid content of the original fruit pulp. The juice content is 100%. The fruit juice does not contain the fruit fiber and pulp, and lower viscosity than fruit puree.

Fruit juice drink: It refers to a clear juice prepared by adding water, sugar liquid, sour agent, etc. to fruit juice (or concentrated fruit juice). The juice content in the finished product is not less than 10 (m/V), such as orange juice drinks, pineapple juice drinks, and apple juice drinks.

There are two types of fruit puree in fruit and vegetable processing:

Single-strength fruit puree: Usually 8-15 Brix based on different fruit varieties, they can be used for baby food, like banana, apple and carrot puree.

Concentrated fruit puree: 30-32 Brix concentrated by the evaporator, which is high-viscosity, can be used for making small packages of fruit juice by adding water, sugar and other ingredients or can be food ingredients.

Fresh fruits and vegetables through washing, sorting, crushing (some fruits need to peeling, depitting, deseeding at the same time), then the crushed fruits can go direct for pulping or go for preheating before pulping. After pulping, we obtained the fruit pulp. Then the decanter or centrifuge separator is applied to the puree to remove the coarse fruit pulp and suspensions, until this process, we get the fine fruit puree. But in order to get high-quality fruit puree and extend the shelf life, the fine fruit puree need to sterilize and filling into aseptic containers.

The fruit pretreatment system is designed according to the characteristics and processing requirements of different fruits. It typically includes fruit washing, sorting, peeling, grading, blanching, deseeding, destoning and crushing. These processes are designed to remove impurities, peels, seeds, and other unwanted materials and prepare the fruits for efficient pulping. After pretreatment, the fruits are fed into the pulper and finisher to separate the edible fruit pulp from skins, seeds, and fibers, producing high-quality fruit pulp or purée for further processing.

The fruit pulping and refining machine is the core equipment for fruit pulp and purée processing. Depending on the fruit characteristics and desired product quality, two main pulping technologies can be applied: hot pulping and cold pulping.

Hot pulping: Between the fruit crushing and pulping processes, a tubular preheater or tube-in-tube preheater can be installed to preheat the crushed fruit. The heat treatment helps inactivate enzymes, soften the fruit tissue, improve pulp separation, and increase the pulp yield. In hot pulping, the crushed fruit is typically preheated to approximately 80–95°C before pulping, with the exact temperature and holding time adjusted according to the fruit variety, enzyme activity, and desired product characteristics. Hot pulping is commonly used for fruits where enzyme inactivation and higher pulp recovery are important.

Cold pulping: After the fruits or vegetables are crushed at ambient or controlled low temperature, they are directly fed into the pulper and finisher for beating and sieving, without a preheating step. This process minimizes thermal exposure and can help better preserve the natural color, fresh flavor, aroma, and heat-sensitive nutrients of the fruit. Cold pulping is particularly suitable for fruits where maintaining a fresh appearance and sensory quality is a priority.

The pulper and finisher can separate the edible pulp from skins, seeds, fibers, and other unwanted materials, producing a smooth and uniform fruit pulp or purée for subsequent concentration, sterilization, aseptic filling, or other downstream processing.

Many types of fruit and vegetable purées, such as banana, mango, guava, peach, apricot, pear, apple, tomato, and other high-pulp fruits, can be further concentrated to increase their soluble solids content and reduce the volume of the final product. Fruit purée concentration is an important step in industrial fruit processing because it significantly reduces storage, packaging, and transportation costs while providing a more stable intermediate product for subsequent processing.

For most fruit purée applications, a forced-circulation evaporator can be used to concentrate single-strength purée into a high-solids fruit or vegetable purée concentrate. During the evaporation process, part of the water is removed under controlled temperature and vacuum conditions, increasing the Brix of the purée while minimizing thermal damage. Compared with conventional atmospheric evaporation, vacuum evaporation allows the product to be processed at a lower boiling temperature, helping to better preserve its natural color, flavor, aroma, and heat-sensitive nutrients.

The concentration process can be designed according to the characteristics of the raw material and the required final Brix. For example, banana and mango purées may require different evaporation conditions because of their different viscosity, fiber content, and rheological properties. The evaporator design therefore takes into account the inlet and outlet Brix, product viscosity, pulp and fiber content, processing temperature, evaporation capacity, and required product quality.

Depending on the product characteristics and production requirements, different evaporation configurations, including single-effect or multi-effect forced-circulation evaporation systems, can be selected. For heat-sensitive fruit purées, the system can be designed with short residence times and controlled vacuum conditions to minimize thermal exposure and maintain the desired product quality.

The fruit purée homogenizer is used to improve the texture, consistency, and mouthfeel of fruit purée by reducing particle size and promoting a more uniform distribution of pulp particles, fine fibers, and other suspended solids. Homogenization helps produce a smoother and more uniform purée, while reducing the tendency of solid particles to settle during storage.

For typical fruit purée applications, the homogenization pressure can be approximately 20–30 MPa, with the product temperature generally controlled at around 50–60°C. However, the optimum pressure and temperature should be determined according to the characteristics of the specific fruit purée and the required product quality.

The product-contact parts of the homogenizer can be manufactured from SUS 304 stainless steel, with SUS 316L available for applications requiring higher corrosion resistance or specific hygienic requirements. The homogenizer capacity can be customized from approximately 500 L/h to 20,000 L/h to meet different production requirements.

The homogenizer can be integrated with the pulping and refining, concentration, pasteurization or UHT sterilization, aseptic storage, and aseptic filling systems to provide a complete fruit pulp and purée processing solution.

After pulping, refining, and filtration, the fine fruit purée is transferred to the sterilization system by a sanitary fruit pulp pump. Depending on the fruit characteristics, viscosity, fiber content, particle size, and required heat treatment, tubular or tube-in-tube sterilizers can be selected for continuous thermal processing.

For relatively viscous fruit and vegetable purées with higher pulp or fiber content, such as tomato, carrot, mango, and banana purée, a tube-in-tube sterilizer is commonly used. The larger flow channel provides good product handling and reduces the risk of blockage during heat treatment. For smoother and more fluid fruit purées, such as apple, berry, and kiwi purée, a suitable tubular heat exchanger sterilizer can be selected according to the product properties and processing requirements.

The sterilization system typically consists of a hygienic stainless-steel tubular heat exchanger, product holding section, heating and cooling sections, temperature control system, pumps, valves, and an automatic control system. The fruit purée is continuously pumped through the heat exchanger and heated to the required sterilization temperature. Depending on the product and target microbial reduction, the treatment temperature is typically within the range of approximately 85–125°C, with the holding time generally ranging from 15 to 60 seconds.

The exact sterilization temperature and holding time are determined according to the fruit variety, pH, viscosity, soluble solids content, microbial requirements, and desired shelf life. For acid fruit purées, relatively moderate-temperature pasteurization or sterilization conditions may be sufficient, while products requiring commercial sterility and ambient-temperature shelf stability may require higher-temperature treatment.

After reaching the required holding temperature and time, the sterilized purée is rapidly cooled to minimize thermal impact on the product and help preserve its natural color, flavor, aroma, texture, and nutritional quality. For aseptic products, the sterilized purée is then transferred through a hygienic closed system to an aseptic tank or aseptic filling machine for packaging.