Engineering & know how
At CALIDIS GROUPE, we specialize in the design of all types of juice and beverage production, bottling, and packaging facilities.
We design complete turnkey or partially turnkey systems, ranging from semi-automated to fully automated systems with throughputs of up to 20,000 liters per hour of finished product.
We have experience in alcoholic beverages and dairy products, but 90% of our business focuses on juices, nectars, fruit drinks, soft drinks, and mineral waters.
KNOW-HOW IN BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING FACILITY DESIGN
KNOW-HOW IN BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING FACILITY DESIGN
KNOW-HOW IN BOTTLING AND PACKAGING FACILITY AND MACHINE DESIGN
KNOW-HOW IN BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING FACILITY DESIGN
At CALIDIS GROUPE, we calculate and design the implementation of all the elements and components necessary to define the flow of liquid and raw materials such as concentrates or sugar, for each type of beverage to be packaged, complying with each of the specifications requested by the client and the relevant legal aspects.
Below we present some basic beverage production systems that we can use as a starting point for customizing each project based on the needs and specifications of each client (rate, production capacity, water type, manufacturing/cleaning/production/packaging time ratio, type of fruit to be used, etc.):
A. PRODUCTION OF JUICE AND FRUITY DRINKS FROM CONCENTRATE FOR ASEPTIC FILLING
This type of facility includes a mineral water conditioning and storage station, a fruit juice concentrate drum emptying station, a liquid sugar production station, and two batch processing tanks, allowing an already prepared batch to be packaged while the next batch is being prepared for packaging. It also includes a heat treatment system with heat recovery to minimize energy consumption, a deodorizing system to recover volatile flavors, and a homogenizer to ensure maximum stability of the final product once packaged.
B. PRODUCTION OF JUICE AND FRUITY DRINKS FROM CONCENTRATE FOR HOT FILLING
The equipment and stations for preparation and accumulation of raw materials can be the same in an aseptic filling facility and a hot-fill facility. The significant difference lies in the thermal treatment system, as it is not necessary to cool the finished beverage from each batch, and it is important to control the temperature at which the finished product is sent to the filling machine, preventing it from falling below the level that would allow fermentation or contamination of the finished product. The production costs and investment in machinery for hot-filling are lower than those for aseptic filling for the same production capacity. On the other hand, the impact of heat on the finished product over a considerable period of time alters the organoleptic properties of the finished beverage, with hints of toasted or caramelized flavors appearing.
C. COLD FILLING SODA AND SOFT DRINKS PRODUCTION (CSD)
Carbonated soft drinks, also known as sodas or soft drinks (CSD), are characterized by having a high percentage of added sugar and a high percentage of dissolved CO2 gas. The high sugar content, apart from making the product more palatable, also gives the finished beverage a denser texture. The CO2 gas dissolved in the beverage has a dual function: On the one hand, the CO2 gas has a refreshing and flavor-enhancing effect, and on the other hand, it displaces dissolved oxygen from the finished beverage, preventing fermentation of the finished product in the short to medium term, achieving a preservative effect against fermentation. There is one very differentiating factor in the design of soft drink production plants compared to juice production plants: The percentage of syrup in the water is much lower than the percentage of fruit juice concentrates in juice production.
This results in smaller syrup accumulation and preparation stations compared to juice production stations. Within this context, a new system for automating soft drink production mechanisms emerged, giving rise to the PREMIX system, a system that allows the transformation of batch production into an in-line production system. The installation described in this section contains a mineral water accumulation station, a liquid sugar production station, four semi-automatic syrup production stations, and a premix system for producing finished soft drinks.
D. PREPARATION OF FLAVORED SOFT DRINKS FOR COLD FILLING
In flavored soft drinks without carbonation by dissolving CO2 gas, the preservative effect on fermentation caused by the displacement of oxygen by CO2 is eliminated. This means that the beverage itself may contain oxygen dissolved in the water, which favors fermentation or oxidation of the finished product. This impacts the design of the facility by incorporating preservative addition systems or heat treatment systems for the product, according to each client’s specifications. Facilities with heat treatment allow the finished product to be classified within the CLEAN LABEL category. The facility described in this section contains a mineral water accumulation station, a liquid sugar production station, four semi-automatic syrup production stations, and a heat treatment system incorporated into the PREMIX system without carbonation of finished beverages.
IMPORTANT NOTE: These systems can be combined with each other if necessary to meet the specifications of each project. For example, for the production of fruity drinks based on concentrate and carbonated at the same time, such as the highly appreciated North African Orangina Type drink. As you can see, all our systems include cleaning or sterilization of the installation, allowing for connection at all necessary points to CIP or SIP (Cleaning in Place) equipment. CALIDIS GROUPE also participates in the design of the CIP equipment required for each of the installations we offer our clients.
E. EXAMPLE OF A JUICE PRODUCTION SYSTEM BASED ON CONCENTRATE, NECTARS AND CARBONATED FRUITY DRINKS
This facility is designed to produce 12,000 liters/hour of fruit juices from concentrate, nectars, and carbonated fruit drinks, simultaneously producing finished beverages for different bottling lines. It was designed to distribute the spaces according to their functionality and comply with the regulations applicable to each area.
The equipment has been distributed so that it can be operated with the minimum necessary personnel and to make the routine tasks of the beverage production process as easy as possible for them.
This facility consists of: Liquid sugar manufacturing unit, juice preparation unit based on concentrate, heat treatment unit for pasteurization of finished beverage, buffer tank for storage of finished product, syrup production unit for the manufacture of flavored beverages, Premix unit for the manufacture of carbonated beverages, and also auxiliary equipment such as the CIP system with detergent recovery, the compressor and compressed air treatment equipment, cooling equipment for obtaining glycol water for cooling the product through plate or tubular heat exchangers, the boiler and the electrical panel of this section.
KNOW-HOW IN BOTTLING AND PACKAGING FACILITY AND MACHINE DESIGN
At CALIDIS GROUPE, in addition to being specialists in the design of all types of bottling and packaging facilities for juices and beverages, we have our own technology and know-how for different bottling machinery manufacturing systems:
Gravity bottling system for still drinks (SOFT DRINKS) and mineral waters, Volumetric bottling system for high viscosity products and dairy products or products with incorporated solid elements, and Isobarometric bottling system for packaging soft drinks (CSD) and carbonated beverages.
We customize all these systems based on the requirements of each project (production capacity, type of cleaning, etc.) and adapt them to each type of container or bottle in which to package the finished liquid product (glass bottle, PET bottle, jar, etc.).
The choice of each bottling system to be used depends on the characteristics of each type of finished product, always with the objective of calibrating the quantity of liquid introduced into the container in order to comply with the quantity indicated on the label and with the tolerances agreed with the client.
A. DESIGN OF ISOBAROMETRIC BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES
At CALIDIS GROUPE, we specialize in the design of this type of bottling machine.
This system involves filling the carbonated beverage into the bottle or container under overpressurized conditions, throughout the entire circuit through which the beverage passes, until it enters the bottle. This is done to prevent the finished product from spilling, due to the boiling effect caused by the excitation and expansion of the carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolved in the beverage.
The graphic shows the different stages of this type of filling system.
The photo shows the interior of the tank of one of our isobarometric filling machines.
B. DESIGN OF BEVERAGE CARBONATION MACHINES AND PREMIX PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
At CALIDIS GROUPE, we specialize in the design of this type of carbonated beverage or soft drink (CSD) production machine. These beverage production systems consist of dosing the required amounts of syrup and CO2 carbon dioxide into the already conditioned mineral water, meeting the previously agreed-upon tolerances.
The syrup is dosed into the water using volumetric calibration procedures for both the syrup and the water. There are various systems for dosing CO2 carbon dioxide into the finished beverage that we can use, although we prefer the dosing system that controls the saturation of CO2 in the water, as it is the most economical.
This technology involves controlling the temperature and pressure of the liquid at all times during the process, as the maximum amount of CO2 that can be dissolved in the water at the saturation point depends on these two parameters.
Our experience allows us to take into account deviations from the theoretical CO2 saturation process caused by the different qualities of the water and raw materials used in the different syrups used to manufacture each type of beverage.
Know-how in bottling and packaging facility design
At CALIDIS GROUPE, we calculate and design the implementation of all the machinery and components required for the packaging or bottling of all types of juices and beverages, considering the flow and storage of all raw materials such as preforms, bottles, caps, handles, boxes, films, pallets, dividers, etc., and also considering the flow and storage of the finished product prior to shipping, complying with each of the specifications requested by the client and the relevant legal aspects.
Gravity bottling system for still drinks (SOFT DRINKS) and mineral waters, Volumetric bottling system for high viscosity products and dairy products or products with incorporated solid elements, and Isobarometric bottling system for packaging soft drinks (CSD) and carbonated beverages.
Below we present some basic beverage packaging and bottling facilities that we can use as a starting point for customizing each project based on the needs and specifications of each client (cadence, production capacity, type of water, manufacturing/cleaning/production/packaging time ratio, type of fruit to be used, etc.):
A. JUICE PROCESSING AND PACKAGING INSTALLATION IN TETRABRICK
This facility consists of two lines for the production and packaging of fruit juices from concentrate.
One packs 4,000 ut/h of 1-L cartons with a screw cap on the top, and the other packs 5,000 ut/h of 0.2-L cartons with a straw on the side, in a building owned by the buyer.
oth formats cannot be packaged simultaneously. The cartons are made of cardboard and plastic, which arrive at the facility in the form of reels to avoid transporting large quantities of empty cartons, which take up a lot of volume relative to their weight.
For reasons of economic efficiency, the cartons are manufactured in the same bottling plant during the packaging process.
The machines installed on each process line can only work with their corresponding format; format changeovers between them are not possible in this facility.
The cartons are produced automatically and filled simultaneously with the product, in the filling room.
The placement of the lid on the carton is performed with a separate machine, at a later stage of the packaging process.
The installation of the caps does not affect the product, as the film inside the carton in contact with the product is not broken until the consumer opens the carton.
The cartons are filled under aseptic conditions to prevent possible contamination during handling.
The cartons are coded to identify the batches and operate with a traceability system that guarantees the proper functioning of the facility.
Finally, the finished boxes are grouped and placed on a cardboard display tray.
The carton packages are manually palletized and wrapped in plastic to facilitate product transport.
B. BOTTLING INSTALLATION FOR SPRING MINERAL WATER IN USUAL PET BOTTLES AND 8 L PET BOTTLES
Turnkey project for a spring mineral water bottling plant designed to bottle: 6,000 bottles per hour of 1.5-liter, and 1,500 carafes per hour of 8-liter .
Both bottling lines can operate simultaneously.
The project includes: a water supply pipeline from the spring to the bottling plant, spring water storage silos, a water filtration system compliant with bigent regulations, CIP equipment with detergent recovery, a PET bottle and jug manufacturing facility using PET preform blow molding, a high-pressure compressor and cooling equipment for the proper operation of the preform blow molding machines, overhead conveyors for PET bottles and carafes to the bottling machines, triblocs for blow molding, bottling, and capping of PET bottles and carafes, an in-line cap feeding system, conveyors for full bottles, labeling machines, coding machines, grouping machines, and a shrink tunnel for forming 6- and 12-unit bottle packs, palletizers, and shrink-wrapping machines.
It also includes the fire-fighting unit and the wastewater treatment plant. The spaces have been distributed to comply with bigent regulations and according to the location of the facility.
C. FACILITY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF JUICES FROM CONCENTRATE, NECTARS AND CARBONATED FRUITY DRINKS
This facility is designed to produce 12,000 liters/hour of fruit juices from concentrate, nectars, and carbonated fruit drinks, simultaneously producing finished beverages for different bottling lines. It was designed to distribute the spaces according to their functionality and comply with the regulations applicable to each area.
It was designed to distribute the spaces according to their functionality and comply with the regulations applicable to each area. The equipment has been distributed so that it can be operated with the minimum necessary personnel and to make the routine tasks of the beverage production process as easy as possible for them.
This facility consists of: Liquid sugar manufacturing unit, juice preparation unit based on concentrate, heat treatment unit for pasteurization of finished beverage, buffer tank for storage of finished product, syrup production unit for the manufacture of flavored beverages, Premix unit for the manufacture of carbonated beverages, and also auxiliary equipment such as the CIP system with detergent recovery, the compressor and compressed air treatment equipment, cooling equipment for obtaining glycol water for cooling the product through plate or tubular heat exchangers, the boiler and the electrical panel of this section.