Juice producer prevents food waste using technology

According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) study, 42% of all cultivated fruits and vegetables worldwide are thrown away every year — even though they are eminently suitable for further processing. The Swedish company RSCUED wants to change this and has appointed itself a fruit rescuer by turning unwanted fruit into high-quality juices, chips and fertilisers.

With the help of a flexible system from GEA, the company can quickly produce high-quality juices from raw materials that would otherwise have fallen victim to waste. It has installed the pre-assembled GEA vaculiq 100 vacuum juicer and the multiCrush milling system on movable skids.

According to Truls Christenson, co-founder of RSCUED: “The advantages of the GEA skid for us were the very short processing time, efficiency, high product quality and flexibility. We need to be able to respond to seasonal supply just as quickly as to fluctuating incoming goods.” This is because the company receives the fruit and vegetables sorted out for regular trade via donations from wholesalers, supermarkets, farms and delivery services. Private individuals who have larger quantities from their gardens can also participate in the fruit rescue program.

The GEA vaculiq 100 vacuum spiral filter (left) and the GEA multiCrush milling system are pre-assembled on movable skids.  (Image: GEA)

The juicer with its vacuum spiral filter delivers the desired flexibility. It processes a ton of fruit or vegetables within about 20 minutes and cleaning the system between productions takes just five minutes. Different varieties can thus be turned into juice in quick succession. And it does so with maximum yield: in the first test phase, the company was able to produce twice as much juice compared to its previously used press. With a capacity of up to 1800 L/h, it is now able to easily increase its production in the future thanks to the technology.

With this juicing method, the products do not come into contact with oxygen, and the gentle process can preserve healthy vitamins and secondary plant nutrients.

The dry mash discharged by the vaculiq plant during the production process, together with remaining rejects, is ideally suited as a basis for fertiliser — which can then promote the growth of new fruits and vegetables.

“GEA’s overall concept is therefore an innovative and unique solution for us in the field of sustainable, industrial juice production,” Christenson concluded.