Strict hygiene standards apply in the food and beverage industry. With this comes a need for Beverage pumps to be able to process and transmit key liquids in highly critical industrial environments. In the more recent of times, there has been some heavy investments made in the R & D of these pumps. This is so they are able to work and run to a higher level of performance. Such investment has also been made too so they are able to filter out any impurities much more effectively too.
Peristaltic pumps are excellent for dosing or metering chemicals, liquid ingredients and flavorings. Transferring highly viscous solids from one location to another is also an ideal application for a peristaltic pump. Food slurries containing solid content or vegetable or fruit skins and waste are great applications for peristaltic pumps.
The Cleaning of these pumps
Most peristaltic pumps can run forward and backward simply by changing the direction of rotation. This is beneficial in applications that require CIP. One significant advantage of a peristaltic pump is its ability to clean in place (CIP). When the pump is operating normally in one direction, a cleaning solution can be flushed through the hose in the opposite pumping direction to clean both the pump and upstream piping. Some peristaltic pumps have the ability to pump at the same discharge pressure in both directions and some do not, so it is important to talk to the manufacturer to determine if they have this ability.
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Maintenance
Peristaltic pumps containing rubber hoses use glycerin to lubricate and in some designs to dissipate heat. The glycerin is contained in the pump housing and it never comes in contact with the pumped medium unless there is a hose failure, which will eventually occur. This glycerin can be a 99.5 kosher glycerin for food applications. Both tube and hose peristaltic pumps are available. Tube pumps use thermoplastic tube materials such as Norprene or Tygothane.
Peristaltic pumps that have these thermoplastic tubes typically do not use glycerin for lubrication or heat dissipation, so there is no risk of contamination. In many cases, peristaltic pumps that use thermoplastic tubing are relatively small diameter pumps that have limited pumping discharge pressures of about 30 to 125 psi, depending on manufacturer and tube material. All of these details should be considered before you invest in such a pump. Have close look at what different manufacturers are offering and see if you can also get a demo of how their machines work too. Having a working machine is easy but it is how easy the machine will be to fix and maintain if there are any problems with it. This should be a major part of your overall buying decision.
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Often ignored – you need to make sure the pump is approved and compliant
Are there are any equipment approvals required for the process? United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and design is the most widely used standard in the food industry. Ensure equipment meets all FDA standards and complies with FDA Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21. Many other approvals may drive specific pump selections. When processing solvents proof or atmosphere explosible (ATEX) approval is required. European manufacturers may require equipment meeting European Framework Regulations (EC) 1935 approvals, and many personal care and pharmaceutical facilities require U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) Class VI approved components. The approvals are driven by the material being produced and how the customer will ingest or use the product.
Like every pump there are also some limitations of these pumps
Peristaltic Beverage pumps do have one significant limitation: the temperature capability of the rubber hose or tube. The maximum continuous temperature limitation of most hose materials is approximately 200 degrees F. However, many rubber materials can withstand much higher temperatures as long as the exposure is short in duration.
So if there is a requirement for steam in place (SIP), a peristaltic pump may or may not be able to survive this cleaning and the rubber hose/tube material will dictate whether SIP is possible. It may be possible to SIP by using low pressure steam (approximately30 psig) for short durations (10 to 15 minutes). It would be advantageous to contact the manufacturer to determine if it recommends SIP with its pumps. If the SIP process requires longer SIP durations or higher pressure steam, then perhaps the peristaltic pump may not be the ideal pumping technology.
How manufacturers are working to make a better end product
Illnesses and allergies from contaminated food are all too commonplace unfortunately. That’s why food safety, recipe compliance, and process integrity are top priorities for a lot of the manufacturers for this equipment. With these products, you can process and homogenise food. From this, you can also be sure to guarantee the safest standards for the end user too.
Perfect design and R & D is vital
Perfectly designed Beverage pumps and process-safe systems for homogenisation, for example, guarantee recipe compliance and reliable quality in the end product – always reproducible and economical, even over long periods. More and more in recent years, it has been vital for pumps to be a great deal more reliable. To be sure to ensure this, this is where and how R & D has literally gone to the next level so the end user has a much more refined overall product. After all, these pumps do need to operate in some of the very most robust environments and in some very high pressured environments too. This is in the sense of the air and liquid pressure passing via these devices. With this, the very best levels of engineering and engineering practices have to be adhered to.
How you can make sure you buy the correct pump to meet your requirements
Proper ingredient transfer equipment is crucial in maintaining optimal efficiency and high product quality while balancing operating costs. Food and beverage processors have a difficult task making purchasing decisions when installing new equipment or upgrading outdated equipment. A four-ingredient recipe exists to select the right pump technology for food and beverage applications.
Food and beverage processing has no shortage of options for material pumping. The options can seem overwhelming, from the industry’s new twin screw pumps, the reliable rotary lobe pumps, the adaptable electric and air-operated diaphragm pumps, the powerful piston pumps, and so on. There is a configuration available in the market to meet a user’s needs. You will see this from manufacturer to manufacturer. This is largely down to the fact they have their own offering of Beverage pumps, all made to their own range of specifications.
Looking at the bigger picture
Peristaltic pumps and Beverage pumps have been very successful within the food and beverage industry in a multitude of applications. They are very efficient and easy to maintain and offer some benefits such as CIP and forward and reverse pumping direction to help in cleaning of upstream piping and instrumentation. In general, the maintenance on peristaltic pumps is extremely easy. In 99 percent of instances, the maintenance required is simply replacing a failed tube or hose. This process usually takes less than one hour to complete and in some designs only minutes. The peristaltic pump may be your best choice for food and beverage applications depending on your process and needs. It also comes down to the business needs and requirements also.
