Environmental Resources for
Fruits & Vegetables

General

Multimedia Environmental Compliance Guide for Food Processors
As food processors, you are regulated by a variety of federal laws administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that impact human activities and the environment. Noncompliance with these regulations can damage human health and the environment, and result in significant financial liabilities for clean up costs or fines. Environmental compliance may be difficult for some food processors that do not have the time, staff, or other resources necessary to determine their responsibilities. Also, environmental regulations and laws can be complicated, and information on environmental compliance may be difficult to locate. Adding to these complexities, you must be aware of and meet stringent food safety requirements. To assist you, EPA, with special assistance from the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), the American Meat Institute (AMI), the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) and the Food Industry Environmental Council (FIEC), has developed this guide to address these issues.

Air

Emission Factor Documentation for AP-42, Section 9.8.2
Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables
This background report consists of five sections. Section 1 includes the introduction to the report. Section 2 gives a description of the dehydrated fruit and vegetable industry. It includes a characterization of the industry, a description of the different process operations, a characterization of emission sources and pollutants emitted, and a description of the technology used to control emissions resulting from these sources. Section 3 is a review of emission data collection (and emission measurement) procedures. It describes the literature search, the screening of emission data reports, and the quality rating system for both emission data and emission factors. Section 4 details emission factor development for dehydrated fruits and vegetables. It includes the review of specific data sets and a description of how candidate emission factors were developed. Section 5 presents the AP-42 Section 9.8.2, Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables.

Water/Wastewater

The Use of a Submerged Microfiltration System for Regeneration and Reuse of Wastewater in a Fresh-cut Vegetable Operation
Wash water from a fresh-cut vegetable processing plant was filtered using a
submerged microfiltration module containing PVDF membranes. The unfiltered water
and permeate were analyzed and the flux and fouling rate were monitored in an effort to find the ideal parameters for the system. The study found the system had a pure water rate of 24 L/hm² which was reduced to 19 L/hm² after 6 hours with cleaning, when run at 40–50 kPa. The ideal cleaning regime was found to be every 1 hour for a period of 120 seconds at 200 kPa

Waste minimization and utilization in the food industry: Processing of arctic berries, and extraction of valuable compounds from juice- processing by- products
This research work is focused on the processing of berries into fruit juices from the point of view of waste minimization and environmental best-practice technologies. Environmental best-practice technologies aim to satisfy consumer demands, while the production process is optimised in order to have the least impact on the environment. The optimisation includes the reduced utilization of raw materials, less energy and water use, while, as a result less process waste and effluent is generated. However, in the process design or re-design, special attention is to be given to safety. As a part of the best-practice technologies the more cost-effective and environmentally friendly preservation of the fruit juices by pressure driven membrane processes will be introduced. In cooperation with researchers of the MARAKASSI project, the Laboratory of Mass and Heat Transfer (Department of Process and Environmental Engineering) at the University of Oulu, the implementation of environmental best-practice technologies in fruit juice processing for waste minimization; and development of solid waste utilization methods that are effective, economic, and environmentally friendly are endorsed.

Energy

 

FACTORS INFLUENCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROCESSING PLANTS
Summary. Results have been presented of research on variability of total energy in fruit and vegetable processing plants. Reasons have been explained for the variability of per unit energy consumption indices taking into account the impact of various technical and technological factors. Per unit fuel and energy consumption indices have been obtained that can be applied in determining environment standards and production costs.

Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industr—An ENERGY STAR® Guide for Energy and Plant Managers
The U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry—defined in this Energy Guide as facilities engaged in the canning, freezing, and drying or dehydrating of fruits and vegetables—consumes over $800 million worth of purchased fuels and electricity per year. Energy efficiency improvement is an important way to reduce these costs and to increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy price volatility. There are a variety of opportunities available at individual plants in the U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry to reduce energy consumption in a cost-effective manner. This Energy Guide discusses energy efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be implemented at the component, process, facility, and organizational levels. A discussion of the trends, structure, and energy consumption characteristics of the U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry is provided along with a description of the major process technologies used within the industry. Next, a wide variety of energy efficiency measures applicable to fruit and vegetable processing plants are described. Many measure descriptions include expected savings in energy and energy-related costs, based on case study data from real-world applications in fruit and vegetable processing facilities and related industries worldwide. Typical measure payback periods and references to further information in the technical literature are also provided, when available. Given the importance of water in fruit and vegetable processing, a summary of basic, proven measures for improving plant-level water efficiency are also provided. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers in the U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry reduce energy and water consumption in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured. Further research on the economics of all measures—as well as on their applicability to different production practices—is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants.

Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Processing/Cold Storage Facilities
In this paper, the results from detailed plant-wide energy audits of seven fresh fruit and
vegetable processing plants in California will be described and potential savings opportunities for large and small size processing plants will be addressed. The details of fresh fruit and vegetable processing from a viewpoint of energy consumption and operating cost will be discussed, and potential measures for energy and cost savings will be outlined.