Manufacturing and processing of banana powder

Bananas are quite perishable and highly sensible to heat; it is estimated that more than quarter of the world’s production is lost every year. The banana is also very versatile, thus enabling its consumption in wide variety of range of products: canned or frozen puree, dried banana figs, banana powder, banana flour, flakes, chips, canned slices, jams and beverages.

Banana powder is prepared by spray drying of fully ripe banana pulp after adding solids at 10% level. Blanching is an important step in banana powder processing for controlling discoloration in the product.

Spray drying of foods rich in invert sugar is difficult because of their thermoplastic nature, which results in the adherence of the dried matter to the sides of the sprayer necessitates scrubbing. However, when milk solids are added spraying becomes easy and the material does not stick to the walls of the sprayer.

The processing should be carried out under good sanitary condition to prevent bacterial contamination of the product at the time of drying and packing.

The dry powder is highly hydroscopic and is packed in bag-in box packages. The bags are made from laminated material with moisture barrier layer. This product has a high market value as it is use in the confectionary industry, making of ice creams and weaning and baby foods.
Manufacturing and processing of banana powder

Scraped surface heat exchangers

Scraped surface heat exchangers are used for processes likely to result in the substantial deposition of suspended solids on the heat transfer surface. In has been used for many years, and still are used, in aseptic processing systems to heat and cool products.

In principle, a scraped surface heat exchanger is a monotube equipped with a rotating internal scraper. The scraper keeps the heating surface free from any deposits and also promotes turbulence.

Scraped surface heat exchangers can be employed in the continuous, closed processing virtually any pumpable fluid involving cooking, slush freezing, cooling, crystallizing, mixing, plasticizing, gelling, polymerizing heating, aseptic processing, etc.

Use of a scraped surface heat exchanger prevents the accumulation of significant buildup of solid deposits. Unlike tubes that usually operate with water as medium, scrape surface heat exchangers tend to use steam for greater heat transfer efficiency.

Due to the mechanical construction and the moving parts, scraped surface heat exchangers are more expensive than any other heat exchanger use in food processing. They can be justified only for heating/cooling fluid foods that cannot be handled in normal tube or plate heat exchangers.
Scraped surface heat exchangers

Process and uses of canned blueberries

Fresh ripe blueberries may spoil of left out at room temperature for a day or more, but they will keep for 2 or 3 days if stored without washing in a covered container in the refrigerator. Canned blueberries can be light or heavy syrup packed or water packed.

Blueberries can be canned, mostly used for pie fillings, are cleaned and inspected, placed in cans, and the cans are then filled with water or with a 10-30% sugar solution to cover the head space.

The open cans are the exhausted or heated in free-flowing steam for 10 minutes, and finally sealed and heat process at about 93-95 °C with 25-30 minutes holding time.

The packing syrup from canned or frozen berries usually has picked up much of the color and flavor form the fruit. Hence, it may be used as a flavoring or a syrup for ice-cream sodas and sundaes, milk shake, mixed drinks, pancakes and waffles.

Compared with other fruits, canned blueberries are an excellent source of iron, fair sources of vitamin A, about average in protein fat and calcium and low in phosphorus.

Canned blueberries packed in water are low in calories and carbohydrates because they contain only about two-thirds the levels of the nutrients that are supplied by the raw fruit.
Process and uses of canned blueberries