Published: October 19, 2026
Fruit that does not make export grade can be turned into pulp: a stable product that is easy to store and is used in juices, desserts, sauces and baby food. This guide sums up which machines make up a pulp plant, the order they work in and which specifications to check. We use a mango line as the example, but the logic is the same for passion fruit, avocado or banana.
1. The process flow
A typical mango pulp line runs through these stages:
- Fruit reception.
- Bubble washing.
- Destoning.
- Pre-heating and enzyme inactivation.
- Pulping and refining.
- Vacuum concentration, only if you make concentrate.
- UHT sterilisation.
- Aseptic filling.
Each fruit adds or changes a step. Avocado needs peeling and pitting with minimal air contact and a colour protection tank; passion fruit needs a cutter and an extractor that separates the pulp from the seeds and skin.
2. Main equipment and typical specifications
| Stage | Machine | Typical specification |
|---|---|---|
| Washing | Bubble washer | Bubbling and spraying, mesh belt |
| Destoning | Mango destoner | Paddle-rotor separation |
| Enzyme inactivation | Pre-heater | Tubular, 85–95 °C |
| Pulping | Pulper / refiner | Two-stage, 0.4–1.0 mm screen |
| Texture (by product) | Homogeniser | High pressure, 20–40 MPa |
| Concentration | Vacuum evaporator | Falling film, 65–72 °Brix |
| Sterilisation | UHT sterilizer | Tube-in-tube, 110–137 °C |
| Filling | Aseptic filler | 200 L or 1,000 L bags |
These are typical reference values; for each project they are confirmed in the quotation.
3. Auxiliary systems: what the flow chart doesn’t show
A plant does not run on the process line alone. These general systems are specified together with it:
- CIP cleaning: automatic cleaning and sanitising of tanks and pipework.
- Water treatment: water for processing, washing and formulation.
- Steam boiler: heat for pasteurisation, UHT and evaporation.
- Refrigeration and cold storage: for fresh fruit, pulp and finished product.
- Compressed air: for valves and pneumatic equipment.
- Metal detector: food-safety control.
- PLC control panel: automation, monitoring and traceability.
- Conveying system: continuous transfer of fruit, pulp and juice.
- Laboratory: °Brix, pH, acidity, viscosity and microbiology.
When you compare quotations, check which auxiliary systems each one includes. Two offers with the same process line can differ greatly if one includes CIP, a boiler and water treatment and the other does not.
4. Packing the pulp
The format depends on who buys the product:
- 200 to 1,000 L aseptic bags (bag-in-box or bag-in-drum): for selling pulp to other manufacturers.
- Sachets and doypacks: for purees, sauces and jams.
- PET or glass bottles with hot filling: for juices.
5. Capacity and year-round use
Lines are usually configured at 1, 3 or 5 t/h. Because each fruit’s season is short, it pays to plan the plant as modular: washing, pulping, heat treatment and packaging can be shared between fruits, and only the fruit-specific machines are added, such as the peeling and pitting machine for avocado or the cutter for passion fruit. That keeps the plant working from one season to the next.
6. What to prepare for a quotation
- The fruit or fruits you will process, and their harvest calendar.
- The end product: pulp, concentrate, juice or powder.
- The capacity you need, in t/h.
- The packaging format.
- Your destination port, if you want a CIF price.
Our standard terms are FOB China or CIF your port, delivery 30–60 days after order confirmation, a 12-month warranty from commissioning and an initial spare-parts kit with the line.
See the complete mango, passion fruit, avocado and banana lines.