VEGETABLE AND FRUIT DEHYDRATION 11 



Preparation Line 



Figure 6 presents the lay-out of the preparation line for the 100- 

 ton vegetable plant. Both side elevation and floor plan are shown. 

 The line need not be straight; it can be turned at any one of a 

 number of convenient places as illustrated in figures 1 to 4. 



Plants processing potatoes have been selected for illustration. 

 Other vegetables, for example carrots and rutabagas, can be handled 

 on the preparation lines illustrated with little or no change. Sweet- 

 potatoes can be handled if lye peeling is used. The use of the lye 

 peeler as a scalder also enables the lines to operate on tomatoes al- 

 most as outlined. Other vegetables may require considerable change 

 in these lines. Beets are commonly cooked before peeling. Cabbage 

 requires the use of kraut cutters and the addition of coring machines 

 over a suitable conveyor belt; considerable rearrangement and a 

 different type of blancher are also necessary because of the desira- 

 bility of blanching on trays. 



Only properly designed and carefully built machinery should be 

 used. A poor cutter or slicer may cause damage to the product and 

 increase washing losses. Incomplete peeling necessitates excessive 

 trimming labor, and drastic peeling wastes the product. The cost of 

 a good blancher and its operating costs are small compared to the 

 loss that will be incurred by the use of one poorly designed. Im- 

 properly designed elevators, conveyors, and washers may be too rough 

 in their action, resulting in damage to products. Some vegetables 

 cannot be handled easily on elevators or conveyors. Thi9 is espe- 

 cially true of leafy vegetables. The plant should therefore be ar- 

 ranged to give these vegetables a minimum amount of handling. 



Ruggedness of equipment and long operating life are important. 

 High maintenance charges may soon offset any saving due to low 

 initial investment. Repairs cause grief and expense due to inter- 

 ruption of production and improper handling and processing. 



When there is a possibility that the stopping of any machine will 

 interrupt the continuous flow of the product through the plant, some 

 means of substitute operation should be available, or else there 

 should be storage facilities for the product so that it will not de- 

 teriorate. In larger plants it may be justifiable to provide two of 

 almost all major items of equipment. Two or even three trimming 

 belts are preferable to one from an operating standpoint and because 

 of the possibility of break- down. It may be desirable to provide 

 two smaller blanchers instead of a single large one. This arrange- 

 ment has particular value when two products are run simultaneously 

 or a product is being prepared in two forms. 



Oversized equipment may be a wise investment, Various parts of 

 the preparation line are then able to handle increases in throughput 

 which may occur as a result of improvement in quality of raw ma- 

 terial or changes in labor and equipment. On the other hand, much 

 can be done to reduce investment in processing equipment. The 

 number of elevators and conveyors can be reduced by placing some 

 machines on elevated platforms directly over other machines, thus 

 utilizing gravity flow. This also reduces the floor space required. 

 A properly constructed water spray over the front uncovered section 

 of the blancher belt may satisfactorily wash the product in lieu of 

 an expensive separate mechanical washer. In addition, a water spray 



