HRS packaged solutions for pasteurisation and sterilisation

Pasteurisation and sterilisation are now well established as a key step in the production of many different food and drink products.

Both pasteurisation and sterilisation involve the use of heat, usually in a way which does not affect the fundamental characteristics of the product (in other words, it doesn’t cook it). However, while sterilisation seeks to completely eliminate any micro-organisms which may be present in the product, pasteurisation reduces the microbial load by a significant factor, which in normal circumstances reduces them to a level at which they do not pose a hazard.

In order to meet the diverse range of requirements for these processes, HRS Heat Exchangers has created its Thermblock packaged pasteuriser/steriliser for food products for aseptic filling. All Thermblock systems allow for full adjustment and can be used as HTST (High Temperature, Short Time) units, to minimise potential side-effects, such as organoleptic changes or nutritional losses.

There are three models of HRS Thermblock:

HRS Thermblock DTA Series
Suitable for applications such as: diced tomatoes, onions, and fruits; as well as products with large particles, such as soups and sauces, baby food, jams and marmalades.

This features a double tube pasteuriser and steriliser for food products containing pieces or particulates, such as fruit and vegetable dices. The steriliser comprises double tube corrugated heat exchangers from the HRS DTA Series and also includes a positive displacement HRS BP Series piston pump which is specifically designed for products containing large pieces.

HRS Thermblock AS Series
Suitable for products with high viscosity, including: tomato pulp and paste, ketchup and pizza sauce, fruit puree and concentrate, jams and marmalades etc.

The Thermblock AS is composed of concentric tube heat exchangers, or annular space heat exchangers from the HRS AS Series, with product flowing in the central annular space, while the heating or cooling media passes through both the internal and external jacket. The steriliser can also include a high pressure piston volumetric pump suitable for high viscosity products. For lower pressure applications, or products with particulates, the HRS BP Series of piston pumps is recommended.

HRS Thermblock M Series
Designed for food with low or medium viscosities, such as: juices and beverages, fruit and vegetable purees and concentrates, milk and dairy products, and smooth soups & sauces.

The steriliser is composed of multitube corrugated tube heat exchangers from the HRS MI Series and HRS MR Series. It can include direct or indirect energy recovery, meaning up to 90% of the energy can be reused, greatly reducing overall energy consumption and improving the return on investment. The post HRS packaged solutions for pasteurisation and sterilisation appeared first on HRS Heat Exchangers.

EU imported 3% more produce from third countries

According to the latest EU statistics, imports of fruit and vegetables by the block from third countries increased by three per cent during the first half of 2018.  During the period €7,745 million of fruit and €1,576 million of vegetables were imported, with fruit showing a 6.5 per cent rise, while vegetables actually fell 9 per cent compared to the same period the previous year. The largest sources of fruit were South Africa (920,464 tonnes), Costa Rica (816,291 tonnes), Chile (738,648 tonnes) and Morocco (618,753 tonnes), and the main products bananas, pineapples and grapes. The most imported vegetable crops were tomatoes, and ‘pod vegetables’ such as green beans, with the largest source by a significant margin being Morocco, followed by Turkey and Egypt. Photo Credit: pxhere The post EU imported 3% more produce from third countries appeared first on Hort News on 21 Feb 2019.

Aldi sells first UK strawberries

Aldi’s Bridgend store has become the first retailer in the UK to sell home-grown strawberries this season, priced at £2.79 for a 227 gram punnet. The crop was grown in a glasshouse at Springfield Nursery near Cowbridge in Wales, and the first hand-picked crop was delivered on Friday 15 February, a year earlier than last year. In a statement the retailer said, “thanks to advancements in glasshouse technology meaning customers can enjoy British strawberries earlier than ever before and for longer.” “At Aldi, we know our customers look forward to the arrival of British strawberries as it signals the start of summer,” added Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Corporate Buying. “We’re delighted to have brought this date forward to mark the start of spring. Aldi is 100 per cent committed to supporting British suppliers and it’s great to be the first grocer to offer hand-picked, British-grown strawberries this year.” Photo Credit: Pexels The post Aldi sells first UK strawberries appeared first on Hort News on 21 Feb 2019.

New global cherry initiative announced

The formation of a new organisation to promote the consumption of cherries globally has been agreed by some of the leading producers at Fruit Logistica. The countries, which include Argentina, Chile, Greece, Hungary, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the United States, met during the event in Berlin and agreed that the new organisation would facilitate consumption and share information. The first meeting of the group will take place at the Global Cherry Summit in April, but it has already identified a need to commission research into cherry’s nutritional properties with a view to incorporating approved health claims in future marketing campaigns.  Over the last ten years cherry volumes have doubled while values have increased three-fold, and the sector is now worth an estimated $2.5 billion a year. Photo Credit: pixino The post New global cherry initiative announced appeared first on Hort News on 21 feb 2019.

UK working to keep UK seed potato exports

Representatives of Scotland’s seed potato industry have used the recent Fruit Logistica event in Berlin to make sure that key markets such as Egypt, Morocco and Israel understand that seed quality and production standards will be maintained after Brexit. Sandy McGowan of Cygnet PB told The Courier, “We’re an island nation, producing most of our seed potatoes for export in the north of Scotland. This means our disease pressure is lower, our bacteria issues are less and we have expert knowledge and logistics for our Scottish and English growers to call on.” His sentiments were echoed by Rob Burns of AHDB, who said, “Countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Israel are some of the largest importers of British seed potatoes. As a result, AHDB, along with Scottish Government and industry, have to ensure the high health and quality of GB seed is appreciated by government and plant health officials in those markets, so that we continue to be their favoured supplier. “That’s why we’re to host delegations from countries like Egypt, so they can see the crop in the field, meet our exporters, visit Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, and get an in-depth understanding of our industry’s commitment to quality.” Photo Credit: Fruit Logistica The post UK working to keep UK seed potato exports appeared first on Hort News on 21 Feb 2019.

Guidance on plant inspections in event of no-deal Brexit

Defra has updated its guidance (first published in December) on how plant inspections will operate at the Place of First Arrival in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The updated Manual for the approval and operation of Plant Health Inspection Facilities at Place of First Arrival (PoFA) – EU Exit no-deal scenario, published by the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA), provides information on how facilities can become approved as PoFAs by the APHA and/or Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) and how approved facilities must operate, including receiving and storing plant material from non-EU countries in order to prevent the introduction of plant pests and diseases into England and Wales. Facilities that comply with all the standards and terms and conditions set out in the manual will have a full approval valid for three years. The document can be found on the Defra website at http://tinyurl.com/y3f2x9r9. Photo Caption: New guidance sets out receiving instructions to prevent the spread of notifiable pests and diseases such as the Citrus Longhorned beetle Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons The post Guidance on plant inspections in event of no-deal Brexit appeared first on Hort News on 21 February 2019.

Europe predicts downturn in tomato consumption

The European Union says that it expects European tomato production to fall in response to reducing consumption across the region.

2018 production was 6.9 million tonnes, but a report on the EU’s agricultural prospects from 2018 to 2030 estimates that by 2030 this figure will drop to 6.7 million tonnes. Despite the fall in production, yields are anticipated to increase, ‘thanks to the installation of artificial light in the greenhouses and the extension of the season in the most important producing countries.’

By 2030, domestic consumption will fall from the current level 14.5kg per person to 13.6kg. However, while fresh tomato exports from the EU have reduced 0.3% a year over the last ten years, mainly due to the Russian produce veto in 2014. However the report predicts that exports will increase to 200,000 tons by 2030. This is 1.6% more than the average of the past five years. Tomato imports, particularly from Morocco and Turkey are expected to continue to grow by 0.4% per year until 2030.

While UK production only accounts for 0.5% of total EU tomato production, it is the most important market for EU tomatoes, currently accounting for 72% of total exports, most of which come from the Netherlands and Spain.2

Photo Credit: Pexels

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New varieties for East Malling Strawberry Breeding Club

A new factsheet from AHDB Horticulture summarises the attributes of the main varieties released in the second tranche of the East Malling Strawberry Breeding Club, as well as details of promising selections developed during the same period.

Three varieties from the second tranche (which started in 2013) are in the process of being commercialised. The late-season June-bearer Malling Allure (EM2157) and the disease resistant Everbearers Malling Champion (EMR564) and EMR639. 

Malling Allure is described as ‘a robust plant, with moderate vigour in comparison with other late-season varieties.’ It is 10-12 days later than Elsanta and has fruit quality similar to Malling Centenary. Malling Champion is ‘an early season Everbearer, which produces its peak harvest in July and picks steadily through August.’ It is resistant to crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum) and wilt (Verticillium dahliae) and shows moderate resistance to powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis), as does EMR639.

Six other selections from the programme are due to advance to large scale grower trials, including two June-bearers and four Everbearers. The East Malling Strawberry Breeding Club (EMSBC) was formed in 2008 to continue the national strawberry programme that began at East Malling Research in 1983. The second tranche of AHDB-funded work runs until 2023.

Photo Caption: Malling Allure

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Finding value in liquid waste streams

Waste is increasingly viewed as a resource. From well-established practices such as recycling paper and aluminium, to the development of the circular economy, an increasing volume of resources are now being recovered from materials that were previously seen only as inconvenient wastes.

Waste valorisation is the process of recovering value from waste materials, for example through reusing or recycling them, or by composting or anaerobically digesting them and converting them into more useful products such as materials, chemicals, fuels or other sources of energy. In a circular economy, compared to a linear one, the materials within products are reused, turning previously burdensome wastes into valuable resources. Moving to a circular economy can have a positive effect on economic growth and strengthen the competitiveness of companies, in addition to providing a number of environmental benefits.

The European Union has proposed to double its rate of resource productivity by 2030 and as part of this, adopted a communication, Towards a circular economy: a zero waste programme for Europe, in July 2014.

Unleashing the potential for liquid waste streams
Wastewater treatment and ‘water mining’ has been identified as a key platform on which to base the technological development of such circular production systems. In addition, every cubic metre of recycled or reused water results in a corresponding reduction in mains water demand and wastewater discharge. There are also benefits in terms of energy and carbon footprint, and waste streams are increasingly being viewed as a resource for the development of bio-based products and processes.

Examples of resource recovery
While we are still a significant way away from the commercial development of large scale biorefineries, parts of this process are already established. The use of anaerobic digestion is now widespread, and there are various examples of material recovery from different waste streams in operation at various scales around the world.

Some examples include:

  • Recovery of phosphorous from sewage for use as agricultural fertilisers.
  • The potential recovery of biopolymers from the wastewater from olive mills.
  • Treating cheese whey wastewater to produce products for food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
  • The recovery of spent yeast products for use in food production.

Fruit processing is another sector that is ideally placed to capitalise on the potential value of some of its waste products. Citrus peel waste accounts for up to half the total volume of citrus fruit processed globally and is a potential source of many useful products including dietary fibre, antioxidants, food colorants and flavours, and contains a wide variety of compounds.

Moving towards zero liquid discharge
Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) is a technique by which liquid waste streams are eliminated: any wastewater is purified and recycled, while other residues, which often include the type of valuable by-products mentioned above, are extracted.

Various processes are employed in ZLD, but evaporation is a key process, both in order to concentrate residues sufficiently to allow their economic extraction or physical removal, and as part of the water purification process. However, solid-liquid mixtures are complex and it is important that the first stage of any potential project includes a research study to evaluate the nature of the waste stream/s and the saturation levels required.

HRS Heat Exchangers have been involved in ZLD projects in Europe using evaporation systems, including the recovery of potassium and sodium sulphates from organic brine waste streams.

For more information on how HRS Zero liquid discharge systems can be used to recover valuable resources from your waste stream, please contact us today.

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No-deal Brexit will lead to gap in crop availability

Riverford founder and organic grower Guy Singh-Watson has warned that a no-deal Brexit will increase the gap in crop availability from March to May.

He told reporters that the availability of many UK grown organic crops such as kale, cabbage, greens, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, swedes, apples, onions and potatoes all come to an end in March, while the harvest of new-season produce does not start until mid-May.

“For 30 years, Riverford has struggled with this reality – we even suspend our UK-only veg box from March to June because we often cannot find eight UK-grown items to put in it,” said Mr Singh-Watson. “While at Riverford, we import 30 per cent of our produce in the fallow March-May period, as a nation, we import about 50 per cent of our fruit and vegetables. And that figure starts to rise in the New Year, reaching about 80 per cent in April before falling again in June.

“If there was a “best time for a no-deal Brexit”, it would be July to September, as any gardener could tell our politicians. Were we to leave without a deal there couldn’t be a worse time than March 29, unless you like woody swedes and sprouting potatoes!” To fill gaps in UK production Riverford has established partnerships with small-scale organic suppliers in Spain, France, Italy and further afield.2

Photo Caption: Riverford already suspends sales of its UK-only veg box from March until June.

Photo Credit: Riverford

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