OliveCEPT® by Arcaroma- olive paste pretreatment unit

 

The oliveCEPT® deploys a pre-treatment to olive paste in extra virgin olive oil production (EVOO) that improves both the quality of the product and increases extracted EVOO yield.

The quality increase is mainly due to phenol concentration increase but also is due to increased concentrations of quality improving vitamins. The pre-treatment is based on pulsating electric fields (PEF), that are opening
biological cell membranes with short but very powerful electrical pulses. The method is very energy efficient as it only consumes up to 5,2 kW of power.

FACTS

• 5 - 15% increased EVOO yield
• 30% increased quality increasing compounds
• User friendly modes of operation
• No additives
• Low energy input
• No significant heating

PRODUCT INFORMATION
The oliveCEPT® consists of one CEPT v6 PEF generator with controlCEPT included, one treatment chamber cabinet with a mounted treatment chamber. Prior to the treatment chamber as well as after, are sensors mounted for pressure and temperature logging.

This gives valuable information to the pre-treatment process and adds safety with logging of pressure drop over the narrowing that is the treatment chamber. The sensors allow for control of the operation to only be active when there is a flow in the system. The connection to the oliveCEPT® is done via stainless steel, food-grade, dairy fittings from Alfa Laval. It is recommended to place the oliveCEPT® treatment after the malaxer but prior to the decanter for maximum effect.

ADVANTAGES
Two main advantages are the result of CEPT® pre-treatment:

First, there is up to 15% added EVOO yield as a direct result of the pre-treatment. 
Second, is a significant increase in quality of the oil. Depending on the olive variety, the phenol concentration and the vitamin C concentrations are increased by up to 30%. Both are achieved without significant heating.

OPERATION
The pre-treatment system is operated via controlCEPT, a Siemens based PLC system that logs sensory data and other information about the treatment. The system is prepared for customer-based start/stop signals or complete integration to parent PLC systems.
To start the system the pre-defined number of start signals needs to be active, including but not limited to, the difference in pressure before and after treatment chamber to indicate that there is a flow in the system. There are safety mechanisms included in the system that is based on the electrical status of the high voltage generator units, and the temperature of the critical parts.

More about the PEF Process