Commercial juicers

Here are some of the most common types of commercial juicer machines:

Centrifugal juicers: Use a fast-spinning blade to chop fruits and vegetables into small pieces. The centrifugal force created by the spinning blade forces the juice out of the produce and through a mesh filter. The separated pulp is collected in a different compartment. These juicers are fast and efficient, making them a popular choice for commercial use.

Cold press juicers: Also known as masticating juicers, these machines use a rotating auger or gear to slowly crush and grind the produce into a pulp, breaking down the fibres and releasing the juice. The remaining pulp is ejected into a separate container. Because they operate at a slower speed and use a grinding motion, commercial cold press juicers produce a higher yield and preserve more nutrients than centrifugal juicers.

Citrus juicers: Electric commercial citrus juicers are designed specifically for juicing citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. The user cuts the citrus fruit in half before placing one half on the juicing cone, which is located on the top of the juicer. As the user gently presses down on the fruit, the juicing cone spins,
extracting the juice from the fruit. The juice is collected in a container or jug underneath.

Triturating juicers: Also known as twin-gear juicers, these juicers contain two interlocking gears with small sharp teeth that rotate slowly against each other to crush and grind produce. A fine screen or mesh filters out the pulp and allows the juice to flow out of the juicer via a separate outlet, where it’s collected in a container.

Hydraulic press juicers: In these ‘two-stage juicers’, the produce is first fed into the juicer and ground into a fine pulp by a rotating auger or gear. The pulp is then pressed between two metal plates using hydraulic pressure. This pressure forces the juice out of the pulp and through a fine mesh filter, while the pulp is left behind. The juice is collected in one container, while the pulp is ejected into another.

Wheatgrass juicers: Commercial wheatgrass juicers are designed specifically for juicing wheatgrass and other leafy greens. Small bundles or handfuls of wheatgrass are fed into the juicer, which uses an augur or gear to slowly grind and crush the wheatgrass, breaking down the fibres and releasing the juice, which is then collected in a container.

Most commercial juicers can juice a wide variety of produce (though certain types of juicers process certain produce more efficiently than others). This includes:

• fruits, including oranges, apples, grapes, pineapples, berries, pears, and melons; commercial citrus juicers (e.g. commercial orange juicers) are specifically designed to extract juice from citrus fruits.
• vegetables, including carrots, celery, cucumbers, beets, spinach, kale, broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, and leafy greens like spinach, kale, and wheatgrass; commercial wheatgrass juicers are specifically designed to extract juice from wheatgrass.
• roots and tubers, including ginger, turmeric, radishes, sweet potatoes, yams and jicama
• herbs and aromatics, including mint, parsley, cilantro, and basil.

The amount of juice a commercial juicer can produce in an hour depends on several factors, such as the type of juicer, the size and type of produce being juiced, and the efficiency of the juicer.

Here’s a rough guide:

• Centrifugal juicers: 40–75 litres per hour
• Cold press juicers / Masticating juicers: 20–40 litres per hour
• Citrus juicers: 75–115 litres per hour
• Triturating juicers: 7.5–12 litres per hour
• Hydraulic-press juicers: Up to 20 litres per hour
• Wheatgrass juicers: 3.5–7.5 litres per hour.

There are several noteworthy differences between the two most popular types of commercial juicers, including:

How they work: Commercial centrifugal juicers use a fast-spinning blade to extract juice, which is separated from the pulp by a mesh filter. Masticating juicers use a rotating auger or gear to slowly crush and grind the produce into a pulp, breaking down the fibres and releasing the juice.

Juice quality: Commercial cold press juicers (a.k.a. masticating juicers) produce higher quality juice compared to centrifugal juicers. Slow and gentle mastication generates less heat and oxidation than a centrifugal juicer’s fast-spinning blade, thereby preserving more enzymes and nutrients in the juice. It also retains more fibre.

Speed: Commercial centrifugal juicers can extract juice in seconds, while masticating juicers take several minutes to produce a single glass of juice.

Noise: Due to their fast-spinning blades, centrifugal juicers are generally noisier than masticating juicers.

Price: Due to their advanced technology and higher-quality juice output, masticating juicers are usually more expensive than centrifugal juicers.

Versatility: Centrifugal juicers are better at juicing harder fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots, while masticating juicers can juice both hard and soft produce, including leafy greens and wheatgrass.

In summary, commercial centrifugal juicers are faster and less expensive but produce lower-quality juice, while commercial masticating juicers are slower and more expensive but produce higher-quality juice.

Cleaning a commercial juicer machine can be a time-consuming and challenging task. Here are some features that can make the process easier and more efficient:

• removable parts — allow you to disassemble the juicer and clean each component separately
• dishwasher-safe components —means you can let a dishwasher do the work
• smooth surfaces — juicers with fewer crevices are easier to clean as they don't trap food particles and are less likely to develop mold and bacteria.
• pulp-ejection system — reduces the amount of pulp and fiber that gets trapped in the juicer, making cleaning easier.
• cleaning brush or tool — some commercial juicers come with brushes or tools designed to clean hard-to-reach areas, making cleaning easier and more thorough
• quick assembly — a commercial juicer machine that’s easy to assemble and disassemble makes cleaning more manageable and saves time.

If you’re preparing or handling unpackaged food for sale, including fruit juice or
vegetable juice, it’s likely your local council will require you to have a food-business licence or food-safety supervisor certificate.

Before applying for a licence or certificate, you may be required to prepare a food safety plan to identify and control food-safety hazards in the handling of food
(also known as a hazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP, plan).

In general, food businesses in Australia must comply with the Food Standards Code, which sets out strict requirements for food safety, labelling, and product
composition.

You may want to consider consulting a food safety expert or regulatory authority, to ensure you’re complying with all relevant regulations.