DESIGN AND START-UP OF A PLANT FOR DAIRY PROCESSED SWEETS

The industry of processed dairy and fruit sweets is listed in the agroindustry as one of the most representative at the economic level preceding poultry and oil palm production. In addition, the requirements of safety and product quality that are indispensable, it also requires committed and specialized labor generating a social impact in terms of employability and competitiveness of the companies that make up the production chain. The production process is carried out in an artisanal way, therefore, one of the problems faced by this industry is the absence of technology and / or automation that allows them to improve process times and, consequently, productivity. However, this can be solved with the incorporation of systems that optimize the acquisition and control of the process variables of cooking and dosing of the sweet, reducing the costs due to waste and poor handling of its ingredients, as well as reaching higher production levels with quality and products that meet the standards imposed by globalized markets. This article shows the development, implementation and start-up of a pilot plant for the cooking and dosing of the sweet, taking into account that the capacity of the hopper is 70 liters. The results show a considerable improvement in the quality and process standards, as well as establishing criteria to optimize other variables that appear in the development.