Ginger Powder Processing Plant
The answer to question what is a ginger processing plant will depend on what ginger product you want to produce. You will require some initial investments if you want to produce ginger powder. The ginger powder processing line usually consists of the following machines:
- Ginger washing machine
- Quality conveyer
- Ginger peeler
- Ginger slicing machine
- Ginger dryer
- Ginger powder mill
- Ginger powder packing machine
So, what is a ginger processing plant? Having the following equipment in your factory, you will be able to produce ginger powder or turmeric powder. Let’s take a closer look at each of these ginger processing items.
1. An automatic ginger washing machine is used to wash the dirt attached to the surface of a ginger root by bubble washing. The whole machine is usually made of stainless steel. Since different businesses process different amounts of ginger, the ginger washing machine can be customized according to your capacity.
2. Ginger quality conveyor is the next step. Once received, ginger material undergoes a quick inspection to ensure that there are no foreign bodies that could damage the machinery or contaminate the final product. After review, ginger is placed in crates for better manipulation and goes to the peeling and cutting area.
3. Ginger peeling machine is used for additional washing and peeling ginger. It can have a special design with a screw feeding structure, which allows it to do fully automatic work. Automatic screw-feed ginger peeling machine can be used not only for cleaning, washing, and peeling ginger but also for stems, tubers, and fruits, such as potato, carrot, sweet potato, ginger, radish, etc. So, suppose you have this machine in your production line. In that case, it also allows you to think about processing other fruits and vegetables, not only ginger.
4. Ginger cutting/slicing machine is used to cut ginger into slices. It is crucial getting a good one suitable for ginger slicing. Ginger is a very fibrous food representing a challenge for many slicers.
A wrong slicer means a higher percentage of waste and less product. On the other hand, a suitable slicer gives you a smooth-surfaced ginger slice. You can get a different cutting size by changing the corresponding cutting blades. Depending on the blades, you can achieve cuts as small as 0.05 inches.
Cutting or slicing the ginger is an essential operation because, ideally, the cuts should be of the same thickness (between 0.1 to 0.2 inches). This way, you can achieve uniform drying times. Otherwise, the thicker parts will require more drying time, and the thinner parts will dry faster. They will remain in the dryer for a longer time than needed. This means you will waste resources, such as time and money (energy costs).
5. Multi-layer ginger dryer is used to dry ginger slices in a fully automatic method. It adopts a multi-layer feeding mesh belt to transport ginger slices into a drying machine. This machine takes cold air in, heats it, and provides constant hot air blow. Humid air circulates to the discharge port. This machine is also very versatile. You can use it for different vegetables, ginger, garlic, onion, etc.
Depending on the efficiency of the dehydrator, ginger will dry for around 3 to 4 hours at a temperature between 150ºF and 155ºF. Once the product is already dry (approximately 11% humidity), the ginger is unloaded from the dryer. To ensure a suitable moisture level, you should take out samples from time to time during the dehydration process and measure them.
6. You can get a water-cooled or another type of ginger powder grinder. It is quite a simple machine used to make powder of your sliced and dried ginger material. Ensure the device is made of high-quality stainless steel and has enough capacity to handle the required ginger quantities. You can also use it to produce banana flour, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper powder, herb powder, etc.
A standard method to pulverize dried ginger flakes is with a hammer mill, where you can choose how fine the final product is desired. You can control it utilizing interchangeable sieves or screens for this purpose.
7. Ginger powder packaging can be done with any universal packaging equipment that can handle powder. The product is packaged in the presentation required by customers in airtight containers.
That’s it. Your product is ready!
Ginger Processing For Juice Extraction
What is a ginger processing plant for ginger juice extraction? Ginger is a very specific material for juice production. It is hard, stiff, and consists of a lot of fibers. Ginger processing is not an easy task for just any kind of juice extractor. You will need something robust and reliable to do ginger juice extraction.
The double screw ginger juice pressing machine is designed to extract the juice of ginger and other fruits with high fiber content. Such a machine has a double inward interlocking screw with a tiny gap for juice flow.
So it can fully extract all the juice, containing nutrients and enzymes, from the materials you feed into the machine. The velocity of rotation of the double screw is very slow but stable. This helps to get a better juice yield from ginger material.
Of course, such a juicer is also highly flexible. It can extract juice from almost all types of fruits and vegetables, including hard and fibrous vegetables.
Characteristics of the ginger juice press machine
As mentioned before, this machine has a low rotation speed and high juice yield. The pressure for the raw material inside the machine is adjustable. In addition, all parts in contact with the raw material are made of food-grade stainless steel.
Working principle of ginger juice-making machine
The main structure is the crushing device installed above the inlet hopper. The razor cuts ginger into 0.1 – 0.2 inch thick pieces. These pieces are delivered directly to the spiral juicer to make the juice.
The primary function of the crushing part is to improve the juice yield. The most important part of the juicer is the long screw, the diameter of the screw gets larger, and the pitch of the screw gets smaller near the drain hopper.
The screw is transporting the crushed material. As the diameter of the screw increases, the pressure for the raw material inside the machine builds up.
The juice is separated from the pomace and flows into the collection tank at the bottom. Finally, the amount of ginger juice sediment depends merely on the filtering technology selected by you.
Ginger Oil Extraction
How to make ginger oil? Along with traditional distillation and extraction, there are modern ginger processing technologies capable of delivering even purer ginger oil in higher quantities:
- supercritical fluid extraction
- extraction by sonication
The essential oil obtained from ginger greatly interests the food and medicine sectors. It is because of the different properties associated with its consumption, such as antioxidant capacity, anticancer, antispasmodic, and antidiarrheal, to name a few.
These characteristics are due to some chemical substances present in said plant material, such as gingerols. Additionally, ginger essential oil is composed of other substances, such as monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, responsible for ginger’s antibacterial, antiseptic and antiviral properties.
Producers traditionally obtain ginger essential oil by steam distillation or soxhlet extraction. These ginger processing methods are not expensive, but they can induce transformations of some oil components (thermal and oxidative degradation).
Supercritical fluid ginger extraction
The extracts obtained with organic solvents contain residues that contaminate the foods and fragrances in which they are used.
Unlike traditional techniques, supercritical fluid extraction allows for obtaining solvent-free extracts, maintaining the organoleptic properties of the starting ginger material without causing pollution to the environment.
Supercritical fluid ginger oil extractor uses carbon dioxide as a solvent. Usually, CO2 is used because no solvent residue is left after the extraction process, thus making your final product very pure. This wouldn’t be the case if we used the usual organic solvent.
This extractor is made mainly from stainless steel and contains the following parts:
- CO2 cylinder
- humidity trap
- filter
- pneumatic pump
- temperature regulator
- extraction cell
- separator
- safety valve
- CO2 outlet
- extract collector
Ginger extraction by sonication
Advantages of ultrasonic extraction:
- mild process conditions
- high performance and yield
- quick extraction without solvents
- safe & ease of use
- can be easily scaled-up
The ultrasonic extraction of essential oils and active compounds from ginger convinces with high efficiency and high yields. Ultrasonic extraction is a delicate, non-thermal process that produces high-quality extracts.
Intense ultrasonic forces puncture or rupture the cellular matrix so that all intracellular material is released quickly and efficiently to extract the maximum yield. While other extraction methods are limited in their upscaling capability, sonication can be entirely linear and scaled to any level of industrial production.
As mentioned, ginger contains many active compounds such as essential oils, oleoresins, and other bioactive phytochemicals, which are desired substances for their taste, smell, and pharmacological effects.
To use the active compounds of ginger, they must be released from the ginger root (rhizome) by extraction.
Conventional ginger extraction methods, such as steam distillation or solvent extraction, have several drawbacks: they are known for their long-lasting process, require large amounts of chemical solvents, and have limited process capacity.
Ultrasonic extraction is a non-thermal method based on the cavitation principle. Microturbulence and high shear forces mechanically break cell walls, simultaneously facilitating the release of cellular constituents of the plant material into the solvent without chemical degradation.
Mild process temperatures save the desired extracts (e.g., antioxidants, polyphenols, etc.) from thermal degradation.
Furthermore, ultrasound-assisted extraction can often be done in water. The absence of organic solvents (e.g., acetone) is essential for extracting compounds that are subsequently incorporated into food and pharmaceutical products.
Sonication can be used to extract functional components from different plant and tissue matrices. As mentioned, it is faster than conventional extraction techniques because ultrasonic extraction can be done as a batch or in-line process.
The versatility of the ultrasonic equipment ensures a simple and straightforward procedure. You can replace the required solvent with water or reduce the amount of solvent significantly. In addition, a moderate temperature and a short extraction time prevent the degradation of active compounds.
Ginger As Flavoring Solution For Food And Beverages
Do you like the smell of ginger? A lot of people really do! That is the reason why you should think about producing ginger aroma and flavoring products. Here are a couple of ideas about that.
Liquid Ginger Aroma
You can create, manufacture and supply an extensive range of liquid natural aromas containing ginger flavor. You can offer a range of solubility solutions to your clients. Liquid ginger aroma product is resistant to high temperature and acidic applications. Thus, it can be used with other sweeteners or flavors.
Ginger Powder Flavor
Another idea is to produce sweet or savory powdered ginger flavors. If that’s your final product, you should store it in foil laminate packs for protection and long product life. You can manufacture highly concentrated powder or natural powder flavors and deliver them in quantities your client requires. Many powders and spice blenders in the food industry are constantly looking for ginger powder.
Natural And Organic Ginger Extracts
The abovementioned ultrasonic extractor can produce a very high-quality pure ginger extract. You can process natural organic extracts for beer, gin, vodka, ready-to-drink tea and coffee beverages, fruit juices and desserts, ice cream, and dairy products.
