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Pomegranate juice and arils
NFC juice, concentrate, fresh and IQF arils, peel extract feedstock
Pomegranate juice and arils line by GEM Foodtech, Kolkata, India — capacity 1 to 15 tonnes of fruit per hour, final yield 11% of raw intake, delivered as a turnkey plant with installation and commissioning worldwide.
The commercial reality
Pomegranate has the widest gap between good and bad processing of any fruit on this list. Press the whole fruit and the peel tannins make the juice bitter. Separate arils first and you get a premium product, plus a peel stream that extractors will buy for punicalagin.
Process flow diagram
Generated for the standard configuration. Yours is redrawn to your product mix, capacity and site.
Process chart
Every stage with the equipment that performs it, the operating parameter and the control point that decides quality.
| # | Stage | Equipment | Parameter | Control point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Washing and sorting | Fruit and vegetable washer | Spray wash, inspection belt | Cracked and mouldy fruit removed |
| 02 | De-hulling and aril separation | Sheller and decorticator | Aril separator, water bath | Peel and membrane separated cleanly |
| 03 | Aril grading | Grader and size sorter | Density and optical grading | Membrane content minimised |
| 04 | Juice extraction | Juice extractor, hydraulic or screw press | Soft screw press on arils only | Tannin pickup avoided |
| 05 | Clarification | Vibro sifter and grader | Decanter and fine screening | Pulp content to specification |
| 06 | Deaeration and pasteurising | Pasteuriser, tubular or plate | Vacuum deaeration then 90 °C, 30 s | Colour and anthocyanin retained |
| 07 | Concentration, optional | Evaporator, vacuum pan or multi-effect | Low temperature vacuum to 65 °Brix | Anthocyanin retention |
| 08 | Aseptic filling or IQF | Aseptic and hot filling line | Aseptic drum, or IQF for fresh arils | Seal integrity or core temperature |
Mass balance
Basis of 1,000 kg of raw material. Change the tonnage below and the whole table rescales.
| Stage | Output, kg/h | Yield | Loss, kg/h | Where the loss goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit received | 1,000 | 100% | 0 | — |
| After washing and sorting | 950 | 95% | 50 | Cracked fruit to juice grade |
| Arils after separation | 560 | 56% | 390 | Peel and membrane to extraction |
| Juice extracted | 450 | 45% | 110 | Aril residue and seed to drying |
| Concentrate at 65 °Brix | 110 | 11% | 340 | Water evaporated |
By-products: Peel to punicalagin extraction — a high-value stream that most plants throw away; seed dried for oil.
Equipment schedule
Core machines for this line. Conveying, tanks, CIP and utilities are added to suit the layout.
| Equipment | Capacity range | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable washer | Preparation | Removes field soil, latex and surface load with recirculated, filtered water. |
| Sheller and decorticator | Separation | Cracks and separates shell from kernel on cashew, peas and corn. |
| Grader and size sorter | Separation | Separates by size or specific gravity before or after processing. |
| Juice extractor, hydraulic or screw press | Separation | Presses juice from crushed fruit; cake exits for drying or feed. |
| Vibro sifter and grader | Separation | Mesh separation into grades; oversize returns to the mill. |
| Pasteuriser, tubular or plate | Thermal | Controlled hold at temperature with regeneration to cut steam use. |
| Evaporator, vacuum pan or multi-effect | Thermal | Concentrates pulp or juice under vacuum at low temperature. |
| Aseptic and hot filling line | Packing | Aseptic bag-in-drum, hot fill, or can and bottle filling and seaming. |
Questions we get on this line
Why not press the whole fruit?
Whole-fruit pressing is cheaper and gives a bitter, tannic juice that sells at a discount. Aril separation costs more capital and returns it in price per litre.
Can fresh arils be sold too?
Yes, and they are the highest-value output. IQF or MAP packing of arils typically returns several times the juice value per kilogram.
What capacity range does the pomegranate line cover?
Standard GEM Foodtech builds cover 1 to 15 tonnes of fruit per hour. Larger duties are engineered to order — the right size is set by the raw material supply through the season, not the nameplate figure.
Is this supplied as a complete turnkey plant?
Yes. The Pomegranate juice and arils line is delivered end to end — feasibility, pilot trial on your own material, engineering, manufacture in Kolkata, installation, commissioning and operator training — or as individual machines to fit an existing plant.
Want this line costed for your tonnage?
Send the raw material specification and the capacity you are targeting. You get a flow diagram, an equipment schedule and a budget number.