Separator's Digest - GEA Westfalia Separator Group

WeStFaLIa SeParatOr vinex – the advantaGeS at a GLanCe
Continuous method of
operation
Procedure reduces the process
times, the amount of labour
input and thus the variable
unit production costs
No longer necessary to allow
mash to stand for up to twelve
hours, and the corresponding
mash tanks are also no longer
necessary
Very gentle technology
dustrial practise with its entire harvest for the first
time in 2003. the Fachhochschule Wädenswil,
Switzerland, had previously carried out a comprehensive
oenological process comparison between
a press and a decanter. Separator‘s digest spoke
with Wilfried dörr about Westfalia Separator
vinex.
Only a continuous system can be
used for operations of this order
of magnitude
Separator‘s Digest: Mr. Dörr, how was the
Westfalia Separator vinex process installed
in Badischer Winzerkeller?
as a large operation, we receive all grape types
and all quality stages from all wine growing
regions in the area. We receive approximately
60 to 80 different batches every day. Badischer
Winzerkeller had previously used a continuous
process in pressing technology, with scroll-type
presses which had been installed during the
1970‘s and which now meant that a reinvestment
was necessary. It was clear that only a continuous
system could again be applicable for an operation
of this order of magnitude. If a company such as
Badischer Winzerkeller wanted to operate on a
discontinuous basis with pneumatic tank presses,
which is actually common practise in the pressing
industry, an installation featuring around 25 tank
presses would have been necessary. this also
does not take account of the manpower necessary
for operating such a installation. a further
possibility of continuous operation, apart from
the scroll-type press, would have been the band
press, which is used in many applications in the
fruit juice field, although it involves microbiological
problems in the trub. the only meaningful
alternative was the decanter.
GEA Westfalia Separator Process 17
Closed and thus hygienic
juicing
Easy to clean
Low coarse trub content
Short pay-back times
Sensory quality fully
comparable with that of
the traditional methods
Suitable for all sizes of
operation
Can be used for red grapes as
well as white grapes
Gentle juicing system
Separator‘s Digest: What are the main
quality advantages of Westfalia Separator
vinex in your opinion?
decanters were tested at the beginning of the
1990‘s in the wine industry, although unsatisfactory
results were achieved at that time. the
problem with the grape mash is that it is not a
homogeneous material. Sometimes it contains
more grapes, sometimes more seeds, and sometimes
more skin. Only after certain aspects had
been adapted was the decanter able to cope with
this inhomogeneous mash. For instance, the drive
of the scroll had to be regulated, in other words,
the power consumption had to adjust to the
solids content, depending on the consistency of
the mash.
Or an additional aspect: when the mash is pumped
into the machine through a stationary stainless
steel tube when the bowl is rotating at 2500
revolutions per minute, this results in high
mechanical strain. It was possible to eliminate this
problem by ensuring that the inlet tube rotated
together with the bowl. the mash is accelerated
in the feed tube, and enters the machine with
approximately the same speed as the bowl. this
results in a gentle juicing process. In the analysis,
it can be established that a decanter does not
expose the product to any mechanical strain. We
do not have any increase in tannin. an increase in
tannin would mean that seeds had somehow
been crushed. We do not want to have this bitter
seed tannin in the wine. We want to have the
polyphenols from the skin of the grapes and
therefore require a juicing system which is as
gentle as possible. this is guaranteed because the
seeds are immediately conveyed to the periphery
Separator’s Digest 3 | 2008