Juice is a beverage enjoyed worldwide, prized for its refreshing taste and nutritional benefits. Being a critical sector within the food and beverage industry, juice processing converts fresh fruits and vegetables into consumable liquid products while preserving their nutritional and organoleptic properties. In designing a juice processing line, paramount considerations have consistently included ensuring product safety and enhancing quality, preserving nutritional value, facilitating consumer convenience and acceptance, and minimising production and operational costs. This article provides an overview of the juice production line, with an emphasis on the function and importance of the equipment involved.

      Upon harvest, fresh fruit or vegetables are delivered to the processing facility, where the selection and reception of raw materials occur at the designated unloading area. After sorting, the produce is washed using water shower in a washing machine to remove surface contaminants and minimise physical, chemical and biological hazards. Subsequently, the peeling machine removes the inedible outer skin, which could otherwise compromise juice quality. The fruits are then subjected to blanching in a blanching machine to inactivate enzymes and reduce microbial load. Stone fruits, such as peaches and apricots, require an additional destoning step using a destoner machine to remove pits before extraction.

      After blanching and destoning, the fruits are transported to a hammer mill by an inclined conveyor belt for grinding. The hammer mill operates by rotating blades or hammers mounted on a spinner alongside a perforated screen to disrupt fruit cells and separate juice from the fibrous matrix. An inline homogeniser facilitates the formation of a uniform juice mixture by reducing the particle size, thereby preventing phase separation in the extracted juices (Mudgil & Barak, 2018). Sugar tank functions to dissolve the sugar in water with the aid of heat supplied from the boiler to produce sugar syrup and store it for ready use. The sugar-to-water ratio and the heating temperature are crucial to ensure desirable sweetness and the sugar is fully dissolved (Arapov et al., 2022).

      In juice production, the mixing tank plays a role in ensuring uniformity and consistency of compositions between the mixed ingredients by mixing the sugar solution from the sugar tank or other ingredients with juice through the correct setting of mixing time and speed (Gandhi et al., 2017). The well-mixed juice from the mixing tank will be transferred into the deaerator tank for the deaeration process. The deaeration process is crucial as the elimination of oxygen produces a better-quality juice by preventing vitamin C losses and browning processes (Jordan et al., 2003). Homogeniser involves mechanical impact on breaking plant tissue, and disrupting microbial cells suspended in the fluid (Kubo et al., 2013) whereby improving juice stability, flow behaviour and physicochemical characteristics as well as reducing spoilage microorganisms in juice (Wellala et al., 2020).

      Pasteurisation reduces dangerous microorganisms while retaining the nutritional value and flavour of juice by using specific temperature and time parameters. High Temperature Short Time (HTST) commonly used for juice pasteurisation in which the temperature around 72℃ is applied to heat the juice for 15 seconds to reduce the number of microorganisms while retaining nutrients (Anukiruthika et al., 2024). Rinsing filling sealing machine is used to fill liquid in packages. It involves placing bottles on a conveyor belt, where bottles are filled within a specified time, and then sealed. It is carried out using components such as motors, sensors, and a conveyor belt (Manhas et al., 2019).

      A bottle dryer is used for surface drying in the food and beverage packaging. It removes moisture from bottles, cans, and pouches before labelling. Proper drying prevents label misalignment and moisture buildup under foil wraps, ensuring product hygiene and customer safety (Wang et al., 2011). A labelling machine applies essential information based on the fundamental requirements that must be included on food labels: the name of the food, net quantity of contents, ingredient list, nutrition labelling, and food allergen labelling on the packaging according to the FDA’s guidance (Ryan, 2017). According to Codex, labelling serves as the primary communication between producers, sellers, and consumers (Bowman & Ludlow, 2017).

      Bottle shrink wrapping machine is used to secure food products by shrink wrap. This wrap is made of a thin, flexible packaging material made from polyethylene (PE), which is used in the packaging of beverages (Crouse, 2023). Non-thermal pasteurisation, such as High Pressure Processing (HPP), can be used in juice production for inactivating pathogens while preserving nutritional and sensory quality and extending the juice’s shelf life. The process typically operates at pressures between 400 to 600 MPa which helps preserve heat-sensitive nutrients. HPP-treated juices retain higher levels of antioxidants, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, reducing browning compared to thermally processed juices (Aghajanzadeh et al., 2021). After HPP and packaging, juices must be stored in chillers (4 to 5℃) or freezers (-18℃). Chillers slow microbial growth, preserving juice freshness for up to a month. Freezing maintains flavour, colour, and nutrients, particularly vitamin C for long-term. Frozen juices are formulated to prevent separation or texture changes when thawed (Bates et al., 2001). Storing the juices under controlled and optimum temperatures can preserve the quality and safety of the juices before distribution to the market.

 

Prepared by:

Dr. Ezzat Binti Mohamad Azman

Alyafeai Ali Nabil Ali Saleh (213723)

Nurul Zahrina Binti Zamri (214610)

Lew Hui Wen  (215445)

Tan Chee Khang (217076)

 

REFERENCES

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Aghajanzadeh, S., Ziaiifar, A. M., & Verkerk, R. (2021). Effect of thermal and non-thermal treatments on the color of citrus juice: A review. Food Reviews International, 39(6), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2021.2012799 

Arapov, D. V., Kuritsyn, V. A., Petrov, S. M., & Podgornova, N. M. (2022). Simulation of the rate of dissolution of sucrose crystals. Journal of Food Engineering, 318, 110887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2021.110887 

Barghi, B., Khorasheh, F., & Barghi, B. The Implementation And Simulation Of A Vacuum Deaeration Package On A Jacket Offshore Platform In Reshadat Oil Field Development & Renovation: An Industrial Case.

Bates, R. P., Morris, J. R., & Crandall, P. G. (2001). Principles and practices of small- and medium-scale fruit juice processing. Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations. https://www.fao.org/4/y2515e/y2515e00.htm#toc

Bowman, D. M., & Ludlow, K. (2017). Ensuring food safety: General principles for safeguarding what you eat including the role of food labels. In Emerging nanotechnologies in food science (pp. 175-193). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-42980-1.00009-1

Crouse, L. (2023). Reduction of Film Plastic in the Environment. https://divertns.ca/sites/default/files/inlinefiles/R6%20Lauren%20Crouse%20Essay.pdf

Gandhi, A., Sen, S. O., Manna, D., Roy, C., Sen, K. K., & Roy, S. D. (2017). Studies on the effect of mixing time, speed and concentration of one component on mixing index. Indian Res. J. Pharm. Sci, 4(01), 887-894. http://doi.org/10.21276/irjps.2017.4.1.3  

Jordan, M. J., Goodner, K. L., & Laencina, J. (2003). Deaeration and pasteurization effects on the orange juice aromatic fraction. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 36(4), 391-396. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0023-6438(03)00041-0 

Manhas, K., Dogra, M., Tiwari, R., & Sharma, J. (2019). Design and Implementation of Bottle Filling Automation System for Food Processing Industries using PLC. International Journal of Power Electronics Controllers and Converters, 5(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.37628/ijpecc.v5i1.1007

Mudgil, D., & Barak, S. (2018). Beverages : Processing and technology. Scientific Publishers.

Ryan, J. M. (2017). Other critical preventive control issues, concepts and validation concerns. In Food safety: Preventive controls (pp. 241–308). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-810994-6.00009-2

Wang, W. C., Calay, R. K., & Chen, Y. K. (2011). Experimental study of an energy efficient hybrid system for surface drying. Applied Thermal Engineering, 31(4), 425-431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2010.09.014

Date of Input: 19/06/2025 | Updated: 29/08/2025 | nur_jasni