Beverage Production Line Water Treatment Strategy

The water used in beverage production accounts for about 90% of the entire production process, so the quality of water used in beverage production has an undeniable impact on the taste, aroma, and color of the entire beverage. The quality of water used in beverage production directly determines the final quality of the beverage. Therefore, selecting suitable water sources and equipping them with appropriate water treatment equipment to ensure the quality and hygiene safety of the water used in the beverage production process is an important part of maintaining sustainable development for enterprises.

The key to determining the quality of beverages

1. Common water treatment methods:

   Due to differences in water sources, water quality standards, and other aspects in different regions, there are various ways to treat water. In the process of beverage production, different water treatment methods are used, such as filtration, aeration, disinfection, etc. These processing methods directly affect factors such as beverage taste, clarity, and bubble persistence.

2. Water hardness:

   The hardness components in water have a significant impact on beverages. High water hardness can affect the taste of the produced beverage, such as difficulty in foaming and rough texture.

3. pH value of water:

   The pH value of water also has a significant impact on the quality of beverages. Generally speaking, the pH value of the water used in beverages should be controlled between 6.5 and 8.5, otherwise it will directly affect the taste of the beverage.

4. Content of metal ions in water quality:

   Excessive content of heavy metal ions in water can cause problems with the color, taste, and other aspects of beverages. In the production of carbonated beverages, excessive metal ions such as zinc and lead can accelerate the dissolution of carbon dioxide in the beverage, resulting in a worse taste and a bitter taste.

The water treatment of the beverage production line

Water filtration equipment

1. Sand and gravel filtration equipment: A sand and gravel filter is a mechanical filtration equipment that uses layered smokeless coal, sand, fine garnet or other materials as the bed layer. It can reduce the density index of sludge in water and meet the water quality requirements for deep purification. It is mainly suitable for coarse filtration of water quality in beverage production, removing larger impurities and laying the foundation for subsequent fine treatment. In practical applications, it can effectively remove larger particles from the top layer of water, achieving a certain standard of water quality and providing a relatively clean water source for beverage production.

2. Activated carbon filter: Activated carbon has an adsorption effect and has a turbidity removal effect on impurities and colloidal particles in water. It is mainly used to remove impurities and chlorine from water. In the beverage production line, activated carbon filters can effectively improve water quality, remove odors caused by phenols and petroleum, color turbidity formed by iron, manganese, humic acid or organic pollutants, partially remove COD, BOD, chlorides, aromatic compounds (benzene, phenol) and other organic matter, remove heavy metal ions, residual chlorine, synthetic detergents in water, and improve the quality of effluent. For example, in the production of fruit juice beverages, activated carbon filters can remove odors and impurities from water, making the juice taste more pure.

3. Sand core rod filter: mainly suitable for processing small amounts of water, the treated water only contains particles, bacteria, and other impurities. The sand core rod filter has a simple structure and is easy to operate, suitable for some small beverage production enterprises or specific production processes.

4. Micro porous filter: capable of filtering out particles and bacteria larger than 0.01 μ m. Microporous filtration is a new membrane separation technology with high capture capacity, large filtration area, long service life, high filtration accuracy, low resistance, high mechanical strength, no peeling phenomenon, strong acid and alkali resistance, and convenient use. In the beverage production line, microporous filters can ensure that the microbial content in the beverage meets the standards and improve the safety of the beverage.

Water softening equipment

1. Ion exchanger: Ion exchanger is a commonly used device in water treatment, which can soften or desalinate water by selecting a certain process. In beverage production, ion exchangers mainly use some ion exchangers to temporarily fix unwanted ions in raw water, reducing the content of these ions in the water to the required level. For example, in soft drink factories, ion exchangers can be used to reduce the hardness of water, prevent the formation of scale during production, and affect the operational efficiency of equipment and the quality of beverages.

2. Reverse osmosis equipment: Reverse osmosis is the membrane technology with the largest application scale and relatively mature technology. Reverse osmosis equipment separates solvents from solutions through reverse osmosis membranes, effectively removing dissolved salts and other impurities from water. In beverage production, reverse osmosis equipment has the advantages of continuous operation, stable product water quality, no need for acid-base regeneration, no shutdown due to regeneration, saving backwash and cleaning water, producing ultrapure water with high yield, no need for water treatment facilities for regenerated wastewater, low operation and maintenance costs, simple installation, and low cost. For example, in bottled water production, reverse osmosis equipment can produce purified water that meets standards, providing high-quality water sources for beverage blending.

3. Ultrafiltration device: Ultrafiltration membrane equipment has several different forms in industrial applications, such as flat plate, tubular, spiral plate, and hollow fiber. In beverage production, ultrafiltration can filter out particles and bacteria with a size of 0.01 μ m or more in the filtrate and gas, without any adverse effects on the composition of the material. The separation, purification, and concentration processes are always at room temperature, making it particularly suitable for the treatment of thermosensitive substances, effectively retaining the bioactive substances and nutrients in the raw material system.

Water sterilization and disinfection equipment

Ozone sterilizer:

Principle: Firstly, the ozone generator inside the ozone sterilizer produces ozone gas. The ozone generator can decompose oxygen (O2) into elemental oxygen (O) through electrolysis, ultraviolet light, or cooling, and then the elemental oxygen will combine to form ozone (O3) gas. The generated ozone gas will be transported to the space or water that needs to be disinfected through the ventilation system, and undergo oxidation reactions with biological molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids in the cell membrane, cell wall, or nucleus of microorganisms, damaging their cell structure and metabolic pathways, leading to the death of microorganisms.

Advantages: Ozone is a strong oxidant with a bactericidal effect 15 to 30 times higher than chlorine. At a certain concentration, it can act for 5 to 10 minutes and sterilize various fungi. The disinfection and sterilization efficiency is high, and the killing rate of bacteria is better than that of ultraviolet lamps, which is 1.5-5 times that of ultraviolet lamps; Strong broad-spectrum, with extremely strong killing ability against various viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms. It can also prevent mold, mildew, preserve freshness, remove odors, and reduce harmful substances; No secondary pollution, naturally reduced to oxygen after disinfection, and no residual toxic or harmful substances; Thoroughly disinfected, unlike ultraviolet light irradiation, it can reach various corners and even certain depths of carpets through the diffusion of gas. Satisfactory disinfection and sterilization effects can also be achieved on the surface and interior of irregular items; Energy saving, consumption reducing, and sterilization, one ozone disinfection sterilizer is approximately equivalent to the power consumption of 5-8 ultraviolet lamps, which is one fourth of the power consumption of ultraviolet lamps. Its effective service life is 8-10 times that of ultraviolet lamps.

UV sterilizer:

Principle: By irradiating microorganisms with ultraviolet light, their proteins and nucleic acids absorb ultraviolet energy, causing protein denaturation and ultimately leading to microbial death.

Advantage: Ultraviolet radiation has a certain penetration ability for clean and transparent water, so it can be used to disinfect water. Ultraviolet sterilization does not change the physical and chemical properties of water, and has the advantages of fast sterilization speed, high efficiency, and no odor. It has been widely used in beverage production lines. For example, in bottled water production, ultraviolet sterilizers can quickly and effectively kill microorganisms in water, ensuring the hygiene and safety of bottled water.