Diseño de planta de Sidra de Manzana para la definición de parámetros productivos iniciales.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to establish the initial production parameters to guide the production, costs and operability of a carbonated peanut cider production plant in a production area that has been little explored, for which a production capacity, a production line proposal, a plant design and its budget were obtained and simulated in FlexSim software. The identification of the production capacity was conducted through an extensive bibliographic review of cider, manufacturing processes, national apple production and consumption of handcrafted beverages in the market, which determined a production capacity of 10 hectoliters per month. An efficient production line was proposed with its machinery, the number of apples needed, labor and spatial distribution of the plant. The elements of the production line were simulated in FlexSim to corroborate the projected production and to obtain information on the behavior of the plant. It was estimated that the raw material would consist of at least 2 tons of Emilia apples, that the resulting product should have an alcohol content of at least 5%, a total investment of US$119117.86, distributed in machinery, employees and facilities, and that the proposed production line would produce 1,000 liters of apple cider in its first year of production with a fermentation and maturation period of 3 months under simulation. It is concluded that the plant proposed demonstrates the technical reliability of apple cider and establishes initial production parameters that will serve as a basis for the development of future production models that will promote cider in the Ecuadorian context. It is recommended to extend the study to a level of economic feasibility and to consider the by-products of this process for other purposes, such as food or fertilizers.