Water quantity 

 (bgy) 



Raw product washing 9.9 



Product transport ' 6.6 



Product preparation - 6.6 



Incorporation in product^ 4.0 



Steam and water sterilization 



of containers 9.9 



Container cooling 23.7 



Plant cleanup 5.3 



15 



10 



10 



6 



15 

 36 



1 Fluming and pumping of raw product. 



2 Blanching, heating, and soaking of product. 



3 Preparation of syrups and brines which enter the container. 



Significant indicators of water quality 



Of the 48 billion gallons of water intake for the 

 two groups (canned and cured seafoods and 

 canned fruits and vegetables), 24 billion gallons 

 were drawn from public water supplies and more 

 than 20 billion gallons from ground sources. Ap- 

 proximately 4 billion gallons came from surface 

 water supplies. 



The quality of raw surface waters for use in the 

 food canning industry should be that prescribed 

 by the NTA Subcommittee on Water Quality 

 Criteria for Public Water Supplies, in this volume. 



Table V-18 has been prepared to indicate the 

 quality characteristics of raw waters that are now 



TABLE V-18. Quality Characteristics of Surface 



Waters That Have Been Used by the 



Food Canning Industry 



' As specified by NTA Subcommittee on Water Quality 

 Criteria for Public Water Supplies, in this volume. 



-Accepted as received (if meeting total solids or other 

 limiting values): has never been a problem at concentrations 

 encountered. 



■^ Zero, not detectable by test. 



NOTE. — Application of the above values should be based 

 on Part 23, ASTM book of standards (1). or APHA Standard 

 methods for the examination of water and wastewater, (5). 



being treated for use as process waters in food 

 canning plants. The values are drawn from limited 

 data and the procedures and costs of treating the 

 raw waters are not available at this time. The 

 values given are not intended to imply that better 

 quality waters are not desirable or that poorer 

 quality waters could not be used in specific cases. 

 Significant water quality requirements for water 

 at point of use are given in table V-19. 



TABLE V-19. Quality Requirements of Water at 



Point of Use by the Canned, Dried, and 



Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Industry 



[Unless otherwise indicated, units are mg/l and values that 



normally should not be exceeded. Quality of water prior to the 



addition of substances used for internal conditioning.] 



Canned specialities (SIC 2032) 

 Canned fruits, vegetables, etc. (SIC 2033) 

 Dried fruits and vegetables (SIC 2032) 

 Characteristic Frozen fruits and vegetables (SIC 2037) 



Acidity (HjSO.) 



Alkalinity (CaCOs) 250 



pH, units 6.5-8.5 



Hardness (CaCO,) 250 



Calcium (Ca) 100 



Chlorides (CI) 250 



Sulfates (SO,) 250 



Iron (Fe) 0.2 



Manganese (Mn) 0.2 



Chlorine (CI) O 



Fluorides (F) 1 ' 



Silica (SiO=) 50 



Phenols C' ') 



Nitrates (NO:,) 10 = 



Nitrites (NO™) (') 



Organics: 



Carbon tetrachloride 0.2'^ 



Odor, threshold number.. C) 



Taste, threshold number.. C) 



Turbidity (°) 



Color, units 5 



Dissolved solids 500 



Suspended solids 10 



Coliform, count/100 ml (°) 



Total bacteria, count/100 ml.. (') 



1 Process waters for food canning are purposely chlorinated 

 to a selected, uniform level. An unchlorinated supply must 

 be available for preparation of canning syrups. 



2 Waters used in the processing and formulation of foods 

 for babies should be low in fluorides concentration. Because 

 high nitrate intake is alleged to be involved in infant illnesses, 

 the concentration of nitrates in waters used for processing 

 baby foods should be low. 



■' Zero, not detectable by test. 



' Because chlorination of food processing waters is a desir- 

 able and widespread practice, the phenol content of intake 

 waters must be considered. Phenol and chlorine in water 

 can react to form chlorophenol, which even in trace amounts 

 can impart a medicinal off flavor to foods. 



^ Maximum permissible concentration may be lower depend- 

 ing on type of substance and its effect on odor and taste. 



"As required by USPHS drinking water standards, 1962 (8). 



'The total bacterial count must be considered as a quality 

 requirement for waters used in certain food processing 

 operations. Other than esthetic considerations, high bacterial 

 concentration in waters coming in contact with frozen foods 

 may significantly increase the count per gram for the food. 

 Waters used to cool heat-steri|ized cans or jars of food must 

 be low in total count for bacteria to prevent serious spoilage 

 due to aspiration of organisms through container seams. 

 Chlorination is widely practiced to assure low bacterial counts 

 on container cooling waters. 



NOTE. — Application of the above values should be based on 

 Part 23, ASTM book of standards (1), or APHA Standard 

 methods for the examination of water and wastewater, (5). 



210 



