ANALYSIS OF METHODS OF WASHING FOOD VEGETABLE RAW MATERIALS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issues of rational consumption of clean water for carrying out the technological process of washing vegetable raw materials, as well as finding out the reasons for the high energy costs of the technological process of washing. The requirements of state standards that are presented to raw materials supplied to canning enterprises for the processing and production of canned foods are described. The amount of soil contamination and the number of microorganisms that are allowed by the relevant standards on the surface of root crops are indicated. It also indicates the inadmissibility of using water that does not meet the requirements of the standards. The modern equipment of the world leading manufacturers of equipment for washing plant materials and some domestic manufacturers is considered. The main directions of using clean water for the technological process of washing vegetable raw materials are considered. The amount of clean running water used for washing is indicated, which on average exceeds 1.5 ... 2 times that accepted in industry. The characteristics of some modern washing machines are given, the reasons for the increased clean water consumption, as well as the drive power of the washing machines, are described. The average value of specific electricity consumption per 1 kg of washed raw material is given. To solve the issues of rational consumption of clean running water, as well as reducing power to drive washers, a technological process that uses a two-stage washer with a section of "dry washing" of vegetable raw materials is proposed. By coordinating the washing regimes in the two-stage method, it is possible to significantly reduce both the flow rate of clean running water and the energy consumption for the washing process of raw materials. The article shows a diagram of a universal two-stage washer for washing plant materials, in particular root crops. The proposed method and design of the machine that implements this method are protected by the patent of Ukraine No. 107488 for the invention.