Custard apple Ready -To -Serve ( RTS) processing
The processing line for custard Apple includes; fruit pulper, homogenizer, stainless steel jacketed kettle, mixing tanks, bottle filling machine, bottle washing machines, crown corking machine, boiler, working table, weighing scale, handling vessels, knives and trolleys.
Fruit selection of well matured and ripened custard is collected and taken for processing.
Washing of fruits with chlorinated water and then tap water is done to remove dirt.
Pulping/juice extraction is done using semi or fully automatic machines. These separate pearl seed and peas from custard apple fruit. Crushing is done and an equal quantity of water is passed through the pulper to remove the seeds from peel.
Pulp is heated to 80 degrees Celsius for softening.
When mixing, for every 1000ltrs of pulp, 450kg of sugar, 2.3kg of citric acid, 5200ltrs of water and 1kg of preservative are mixed at acceptable specifications. The mixture is then homogenized to prepare a uniform blend.
The mixture is then pasteurized to remove any microbial growth and this is done at 90 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
The pasteurized RTS beverage is cooled to 70 degrees Celsius and preservatives are added with thorough stirring.
The product is bottled in sterilized bottles while its still hot , crown cork inserted and places in boiling water for 20-30 minutes.
cooling is done to normal temperature and stored for up to 180days shelf life with added preservatives.