Convert your existing production line for a winning recipe with plant-based beverages
Health is not a trend – it’s a lifestyle. And consumers are increasingly looking beyond dairy to newer plant-based alternatives, such as beverages from potato, pistachio, and hemp. So how can food producers keep pace with consumer tastes and refresh their product lines? There are two answers to that question: one is to set up a new processing line customized to your specific new product requirement, the other is to start with converting an existing line. Here’s a closer look at how to do the latter.
Of course, capitalising on the surging popularity of plant-based beverages will be easier for some producers than others. But converting from dairy can be a relatively straightforward process, and we have the expertise and the knowledge to make the transition seamless.
Opportunities for dairy producers
Most plant-based beverages are low acid products and hence the key unit operations for plant-based beverages remain the same as for dairy beverage – viz mixing, UHT, homogenization and aseptic filling. The process requirement on Ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment, for example, is similar, but the process must be adapted to the different composition of the raw materials.
Here are three scenarios for converting a dairy line:
This scenario offers the fastest time to market and gets your products on the shelves with the lowest possible capital expenditure (CAPEX). On the other hand, this approach relies on specialized ingredients and hence there is limited room to manoeuvre around cost of ingredient or product customization. The key upgrades required for mixing, UHT, homogenization and cleaning are as below:
Mixing:
- Add a Tetra Pak® High Shear Mixer to the line to mix the raw materials with water, calcium, oil, salt, etc. to get the right mouthfeel and do the final formulation. A good mixing operation is often underrated, but a crucial part of the process. Tetra Pak High Shear Mixer provides the flexibility to handle multiple different ingredients, with different mixing requirements.
UHT Processing:
- Add deaerator (if there isn’t one already) into a Tetra Pak® Indirect UHT unit for better product quality.
- Increase the heat exchanger’s heat transfer area based on the new product specification and temperature program since plant-based beverages typically need more heating and cooling area compared to cow’s milk
- Extension of holding tube may be needed as a higher heat load is recommended
- Add flow control and capacity to the hot water circuit to adapt to every line’s specific conditions
Homogenization:
- Upgrade homogenizer to work downstream of heat treatment for the indirect UHT unit
- Upgrade certain homogenizer components to more robust materials as grains and fibres could be abrasive
CIP:
- Add a new cleaning-in-place (CIP) program and components to dose additional booster cleaning agent for efficient cleaning of the UHT unit; in case fibres might be present, a back-flush function and increase of CIP flows should be included.
In most of these cases, the flour needs to go through an enzymatic treatment step. Therefore, a Tetra Pak® Extraction unit minus the grinding unit needs to be added. This involves higher upfront investment but provides an overall lower TCO due to the lower cost of the raw materials. It also provides manufacturers greater flexibility in product design.
- Add a high shear mixer to dissolve the flour before enzymatic treatment, including a feed system for flour
- A feeding system for enzymes may be considered.
- Add temperature-controlled enzyme treatment section of sufficient capacity to hydrolyse and adjust taste of the flour slurry
- Add enzyme deactivation module, which stops enzymatic activities by heat treatment
- Add fibre separation decanter to remove non-soluble components
- Critical to consider production time scheduling for right sizing of each of the above steps vis a vis the downstream processing capacity.
The oat, rice or soya need to go through a grinding step. Oat and rice need to go through an enzymatic treatment step, the requirement for which will be similar as described in scenario 2 above. Soya does not need enzymatic treatment. The other processes – enzyme deactivation and fibre separation will be needed as described in Scenario 2. A Tetra Pak® Extraction unit will need to be added. This option has higher capex requirement than Scenario 2, but also has the lowest TCO due to the saving on the raw material cost. The higher the volume for plant-based beverages the manufacturer produces, the more attractive this option becomes. This option also opens opportunities for product and process customization even further than scenario 2. For this set up, over and above scenario 1 and 2 requirement:
- Add grinding unit to grind soya, rice, oat grains or flakes, including a grain/flake feeding system
Integrated food solutions for plant-based beverages
What you see is a line of steal equipment. But integrated into it are decades of food expertise, sophisticated automation and experience from thousands of plants all over the world.
Plant-based packs for plant-based drinks
Many consumers of plant-based beverages prefer plant-based packages. We have a wide range of suitable packages – made of responsibly sourced paperboard and plant-based plastics.
Allergens and food safety
Food and beverage producers have so much to consider when it comes to adding a new product line to their portfolios, but for those weighing an investment in plant-based beverages, one factor looms especially large: Allergens.
