During the production of chocolate eggs, vacuum is used in several production sections to hold the eggs in place and lift them up. The vacuum system is installed in a separate room and sucks the air-conditioned air from the production line. The vacuum at the machine is maintained at a constant pressure.

Vegetables are air-dried after washing. Sensitive vegetables are cleaned with compressed air only.

The coffee beans are whirled around while being roasted to achieve a constant roasting result.

On yoghurt filling machines the vacuum pump serves to position the lids on five pre-filled yoghurt containers simultaneously. Suction cups on the machine grip the lids, separate them and move them into the correct positions.

Mineral water from natural springs contains carbonic acid, minerals and iron. The iron dissolved in the water oxidizes when it comes into contact with the air, giving the water an unpleasant taste. The water needs to be deferrized at a pressure of about 50 mbar, but first a vacuum pump is required to remove the carbonation and then reintroduce it to produce sparkling water.

Prolonged exposure to air gives salad oils and fats an unpleasant odour and flavour. Before they can be processed further, these oxidation products must be removed. This is accomplished by injecting steam, which absorbs the odour and flavour particles created, and then extracting the steam with a vacuum.

Filtration units are used for filtering and cleaning liquids. The choice of the filtration membrane (nano-, ultra- or microfiltration) depends on the product requirements. Crossflow filtration, for example, involves re-circulation of the feed stream across the membrane surface caused by the pressure difference between retentate and permeate. During the filtration process, particles deposit on the membrane surface which are gradually removed by the cross flow velocity generated by the pump to minimise polarisation.

The water’s oxygen content can be substantially increased using gas ring blowers or liquid ring pumps, which in turn increases the number of fish that can be kept in a pond twofold or even threefold. In this process air is drawn from the atmosphere and forced through an inlet into the tube aerator. It is then diffused into the water through tiny openings and rises in fine bubbles. The oxygen in the water causes the fish to grow and multiply more rapidly and significantly increases the yield.

Fruits, vegetables and their subsequent products, such as mash and purée, are preserved through cooking. This involves heating a small amount of water to generate steam which removes the air. To obtain a high product quality and energy efficiency, the preservation process is carried out under vacuum.

To prevent fruits from maturing, they are stored in cooling chambers under so-called controlled atmosphere conditions: after having been exhausted, the cooling chamber is filled with inert gas. Alternatively, the inert gas is carefully compressed into the packaging.

Humidification of tobacco

Tobacco packed in bales is so brittle that without proper humidification it would crumble into dust when processed further. A vacuum pump extracts the air from the bales and replaces it with steam, sometimes supplemented with aromatic substances.

In addition to transporting the milk, the vacuum used in milking systems performs other tasks as well, such as attaching onto the udder and holding the weight of the milking claw assembly to the teat. Liquid ring pumps and side channel blowers offer significant advantages over traditional oil-lubricated pumps because they use no oil. The side channel technology has the addtional advantage of requiring no water connection – and it is optionally available with frequency converters.

Even the weighing and portioning of foods produces waste products that must be disposed of quickly and automatically. A weighing station for chicken breast fillets, in which individual portions are transported by belt weighers and sorted into weight groups, produces liquid waste as well as fat and small fibers. A vacuum pump extracts this waste and passes it on for proper disposal.

The food industry employs processes similar to those described above to automatically extract the entrails from salmon. Operating at a rate of only 3 seconds per fish, the quantity of material to be processed is enormous. The resulting waste products consisting of saltwater, fats, proteins and fish remains are extracted by means of a side channel blower located beside the salmon cleaning machine.

Tea and spices imported from tropical regions are shipped in bales, which very often contain pests, insects, fungi and bacteria that must be destroyed before further processing can occur. This is done by placing the bales in vacuum containers and extracting the air. The bales are then injected with steam or a sterilized gas.

To produce sausages a meat mixture is chopped into small pieces and mixed with spices and other additives. Extracting air during the chopping and mixing processes can help prevent the mixture from oxidizing, which would have a negative effect on the sausage’s flavour and appearance. The air is evacuated by means of a vacuum of about 100 mbar. The pump used must be insensitive to the meat particles and liquids that are also extracted.

Vacuum Solutions For Food Processing and Packaging by Elmo Rietschle are used in food packaging for more than 70 years, vacuum plays a crucial role is a variety of food packaging processes.  Sarwat is an authorized distributor of  Elmo Rietschle  full range of vacuum equipment for the food packaging industry that combines  efficiency and accuracy of vacuum supply for low to high volume packaging lines.

When you need solutions to support your vacuum and low pressure applications, you’ll want expert partners that will give you all the benefit of their experience and knowledge. Kindly contact Sarwat Engineering Company for an expert advice for  your vacuum and low pressure applications.