91E-21 |
Cost evaluation of a commercial scale PEF system |
Z. T. JIN and Q. H. Zhang. Food Science & Technology, The Ohio State University, 2015 Fyffe Road, Columbus, OH 43210 Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing has been successfully implemented to produce liquid foods, such as fruit juices, with fresh-like quality. The industrialization of this process needs the cost information of a commercial scale PEF system. The objective was to evaluate the cost of a commercial scale PEF system. The OSU-6, a recently constructed integrated commercial scale PEF system located at The Ohio State University was used for the cost evaluation. The total operation cost consisted of three parts: Equipment, personal, and utilities. The cost for packaging and food materials were not included. The equipment cost included equipment purchase price distributed in a 5-years depression period, plus maintenance cost. One trained person was in charge of the system operation. Utilities include water, electricity and steam with local industrial prices. The operation time was calculated as 8 hours a shift, 2 shifts per day, 5 days a week, and 52 weeks a year. The system was operated at a product flow rate of 1000 L/h. Total operational cost is 6 to 7 cents per liter for PEF treated orange and tomato juices. Equipment cost counts for 66% of the total operational cost, personal 7%, and utilities 27%. Detailed cost evaluation is presented in figures and tables. This paper provides the detailed cost information to people who make or use the PEF systems. The cost information can also be used for system scale up, modification, or optimization, and marketing research.
Session 91E, Nonthermal Processing: Nonthermal processing of foods
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