Automatic Fish Sauce production line Price

The price of an automatic fish sauce production line ranges from $80,000 to $2,200,000, and its price is mainly determined by the annual production capacity, core fermentation equipment configuration, desalination technology level, degree of automation and digital control system, which together determine the investment cost, production efficiency and product quality of the production line. An automatic fish sauce production line is a complete set of bioengineering equipment that converts marine fish into amber liquid condiments through high-salt enzymolysis and long-term fermentation. It is essentially different from soy sauce (koji-making fermentation) and garlic paste (physical grinding) production lines: the core contradiction of fish sauce production lies in the conflict between the extremely long fermentation cycle (6-18 months in traditional technology) and large-scale continuous production, as well as the three major technical barriers of high-protein material corrosion, high-salt environment crystallization and blockage, and heat sensitivity of flavor substances. Modern fully automatic fish sauce production lines have broken through key technologies such as “one-tank integrated fermentation”, low-temperature fermentation and salt control, and electrodialysis desalination. The annual production capacity of a single line can reach 40,000 tons, and the filling speed in the later stage exceeds 36,000 bottles per hour. This article will elaborate on the price-related details of the automatic fish sauce production line in detail according to the seven core systems of the two major sections (bio-fermentation section and finished product refining section), naturally integrating all required equipment terms into the paragraphs, with simple and easy-to-understand language and ensuring the total word count reaches 2000 words.

Price Impact of Raw Material Measurement and Batching Conveying System

The raw material measurement and batching conveying system is the starting link of fish sauce production. It is necessary to accurately control the fish-salt ratio and the addition amount of enzymes in the initial stage of fermentation. The traditional manual mixing is extremely labor-intensive, and the equipment configuration of this section directly affects the accuracy of batching and the subsequent fermentation effect, thus affecting the overall price of the production line. The core equipment of this section includes an automatic batching mechanism and a pneumatic conveying system, and the price difference is obvious according to the processing capacity and degree of automation.

The automatic batching mechanism is equipped with a linkage line of belt scale and scraper conveyor. A pneumatic gate is installed at the outlet of the fish feeding hopper to automatically unload materials to the belt scale according to the set weight; a frequency conversion speed-regulating feeder is installed at the outlet of the salt feeding hopper, which is closed-loop controlled with the fish material conveying speed, and the salt addition ratio can be arbitrarily set within the range of 30%-40%; the liquid auxiliary material tank (complex enzyme solution, probiotic solution) is injected online through a metering pump. The price of a small-scale automatic batching mechanism suitable for an annual output of 10,000 tons is about $10,000 to $25,000; the price of a medium-scale batching mechanism matching an annual output of 20,000-30,000 tons is between $26,000 and $60,000; the price of a large-scale high-precision batching mechanism suitable for an annual output of 40,000 tons or more can reach $65,000 to $130,000. Before batching, some production lines will use a coarse crusher to break large fish into small pieces, which is convenient for subsequent batching and conveying, with a price of $4,000 to $10,000. An Electric Grinder can also be used for auxiliary crushing of small fish, with a price of $1,800 to $4,500.

The pneumatic conveying system directly presses the salt-containing and enzyme-containing fish material after batching to the feed inlet at the top of the fermentation tank through a closed pneumatic conveying pipeline, with no manual contact and no dust pollution in the whole process. The price of a small-scale pneumatic conveying system is about $6,000 to $15,000; the price of a large-scale system with high conveying efficiency is between $16,000 and $35,000. The conveying pipeline is usually made of high-quality stainless steel to resist corrosion by high-salt materials, which will increase the equipment cost by 10%-15%. In addition, the motor of the pneumatic conveying system needs a matching charger to ensure stable power supply, with a charger price of $900 to $2,200. Some production lines will also use a Dust Grinder and a dust collector grinder to solve the dust pollution problem during the batching process, with a single price of $3,000 to $8,000.

Price Impact of One-Tank Fully Automatic Fermentation System

The one-tank fully automatic fermentation system is the core section of fish sauce production. The traditional fish sauce production needs three shifts: “salting pool → tank shifting and sun-drying → suction filter pool”, which is labor-intensive and has a high risk of bacterial contamination. In recent years, the patented technology “one-tank automatic equipment” integrates the early, middle and late fermentation into a single tank, which greatly improves production efficiency and reduces labor costs. The price of this section accounts for about 30%-35% of the total price of the production line, and the price difference is mainly determined by the volume of the fermentation tank, the degree of automation and the functional configuration.

The main structure of the fermentation tank includes the tank body, composite tank cover system and pressure plate device. The fermentation tank group is an outdoor vertical stainless steel fermentation tank group, with a single tank volume of 50-200 tons, and a conical bottom structure for easy discharge. The price of a 50-ton small-scale stainless steel fermentation tank is about $15,000 to $35,000; the price of a 100-ton medium-scale tank is between $36,000 and $75,000; the price of a 200-ton large-scale tank can reach $80,000 to $160,000. The composite tank cover system is composed of a fixed part and a lifting movable part, the top is covered with a raincloth, and the supporting steel pipe is built with cleaning balls and cleaning pipelines; the tank cover lifting mechanism is composed of a motor, a main drive gear, a driven gear and a chain, realizing automatic opening, closing and sealing of the tank cover. This composite tank cover system will increase the equipment cost by $8,000 to $20,000 compared with the ordinary tank cover.

The pressure plate device is used to prevent fish materials from floating and oxidizing in the early stage of fermentation. The PVB laminated glass pressure plate (corrosion-resistant and light-transmitting) is driven by a hoist to submerge the fish materials under the liquid level; a proximity switch is installed in the middle of the pressure plate to monitor the plate position in real time. The price of the pressure plate device ranges from $5,000 to $12,000, depending on the size of the tank body. In the automatic floating oil and enzyme water recovery link, the movable oil suction pipe is automatically lowered to the liquid level under the traction of the pressure plate lifting mechanism after 2-3 days of salting in the fermentation tank, and the surface floating oil is sucked into the oil suction tank for centralized treatment. The enzyme water recovery valve is automatically opened after the floating oil is removed, and the high enzyme activity brine leached in the early stage is pumped into the buffer tank for subsequent water replenishment and deployment, realizing the recycling of enzyme resources. The price of the automatic oil suction and enzyme water recovery system is about $7,000 to $18,000.

In the middle stage of automatic stirring and sun-drying, an explosion-proof stirring motor is installed in the middle and lower part of the fermentation tank to drive an anchor or paddle stirrer, which automatically runs according to the preset cycle of the time relay (such as stirring for 15 minutes every 4 hours) to ensure uniform distribution of salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen field. The price of an explosion-proof stirring motor is about $4,000 to $10,000; the price of a matching stirrer is between $2,000 and $6,000. The top of the tank adopts a high-transparency raincloth, which not only ensures that ultraviolet radiation promotes the Maillard reaction, but also prevents rainwater from diluting the sauce mash; some enterprises retain the top-floor sunning field, but realize an “indoor sunning field” through glass shed closure, with controllable temperature and humidity. The cost of the glass shed closure is about $3,000 to $8,000 per 100 square meters.

The cone bottom of the fermentation tank is equipped with a tank bottom valve, which is divided into three paths: the discharge valve is connected to the screw pump, the cleaning return valve is connected to the cleaning return pump, and the bypass valve is used for the enzyme water recovery pipeline. Annular cleaning pipelines and universal cleaning balls are arranged on the inner wall of the tank and the bottom of the pressure plate, which can automatically perform alkali washing, acid washing and hot water flushing procedures after the batch is completed, completely removing the high-protein residual scale. The price of the tank bottom valve group is about $3,000 to $8,000; the price of the CIP cleaning system is between $5,000 and $15,000. In addition, some production lines will use a cutting type grinder to clean the residual materials in the valve group and pipeline, with a price of $3,500 to $9,000.

Price Impact of Pressure Filtration and Solid-Liquid Separation System

The pressure filtration and solid-liquid separation system is used to separate the mature fermented sauce mash (fish embryo mash) into fish sauce crude oil and fish residue. The equipment configuration of this section mainly includes a screw pump constant pressure conveying device, a pressure filtration unit and a bidirectional steel built-in filter screen. The price of this section accounts for about 15%-20% of the total price of the production line, and the price difference is mainly determined by the pressure filtration efficiency, filter cloth quality and degree of automation.

The screw pump constant pressure conveying device conveys the fermented mash to the pressure filtration unit through the tank bottom valve and discharge valve. A compressed air purge valve is configured in the outlet pipeline. After the discharge is completed, automatic top-space purge is performed to avoid pipeline blockage caused by residual crystallization. The price of a small-scale screw pump is about $3,000 to $8,000; the price of a large-scale high-pressure screw pump is between $9,000 and $20,000. The pipeline of the conveying device is made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion and blockage, with a price 10%-15% higher than that of ordinary pipelines.

The pressure filtration unit usually adopts a plate and frame filter press or a belt-type continuous press. The difficulty of fish sauce pressure filtration lies in the fast filter cloth blockage speed. Modern production lines are equipped with an automatic backwashing mechanism, and the filter cloth is automatically backblown and regenerated with high-pressure water after each batch of pressure filtration. The price of a small-scale plate and frame filter press is about $8,000 to $20,000; the price of a medium-scale belt-type continuous press is between $21,000 and $50,000; the price of a large-scale high-efficiency pressure filtration unit suitable for an annual output of 40,000 tons or more can reach $55,000 to $120,000. The automatic backwashing mechanism is an optional configuration, which will increase the equipment cost by $4,000 to $10,000. The filter cloth is a vulnerable part, and the cost of replacing the filter cloth is about $1,000 to $3,000 per year.

The bidirectional steel built-in filter screen is installed inside the discharge port of the fermentation tank to initially intercept large particles of fish bones and prevent blockage of downstream valves. The price of a small-scale filter screen is about $1,000 to $3,000; the price of a large-scale high-precision filter screen is between $3,500 and $8,000. In addition, some production lines will use an Air cooled crusher to crush the separated fish residue, which is convenient for subsequent treatment, with a price of $5,500 to $13,000. A 200KG grinder or 500KG Grinder can also be used to grind the fish residue into powder, which can be used as feed additives, with prices of $2,500 to $6,000 and $6,500 to $16,000 respectively.

Price Impact of Refining and Desalination System

The salt content of raw fish sauce is usually as high as 25%-28%, which is not in line with the modern low-sodium diet trend; it also contains suspended particles and colloids, which need deep clarification. The equipment configuration of this section mainly includes an electrodialysis desalination device and a low-temperature membrane precision filtration device. The price of this section accounts for about 15%-20% of the total price of the production line, and the price difference is mainly determined by the desalination rate, filtration accuracy and equipment stability.

The patented refining device of the electrodialysis desalination device adopts an electrode filter plate group structure: a number of metal filter plates with opposite charges are arranged in the filter tank from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and the through-hole diameter decreases in turn (such as 200 mesh → 300 mesh → 500 mesh). Under the action of a DC electric field, sodium ions and chloride ions migrate directionally to the opposite electrode and are intercepted or derived, thus realizing normal-temperature desalination and avoiding flavor substances from being destroyed by heating. The desalination rate can automatically adjust the voltage and flow rate according to the feedback of the online salinometer at the outlet, meeting the flexible production demand of 25%-50% desalination range. The price of a small-scale electrodialysis desalination device is about $12,000 to $30,000; the price of a medium-scale device is between $31,000 and $70,000; the price of a large-scale high-precision device is $75,000 to $150,000. The metal filter plate is made of corrosion-resistant metal materials, with a price of $2,000 to $5,000 per piece.

After desalination, the fish sauce is coarsely filtered by a diatomite precoating filter, and then finely filtered by a hollow fiber ultrafiltration membrane module (molecular weight cut-off 10,000-50,000 Daltons). Membrane filtration can completely remove residual microorganisms, pyrogens and macromolecular proteins, the light transmittance of the filtrate is ≥95%, and the whole process is lower than 40℃, completely retaining amino acid nitrogen and volatile aroma components. The price of a small-scale diatomite precoating filter is about $4,000 to $10,000; the price of a matching hollow fiber ultrafiltration membrane module is between $8,000 and $20,000. Some high-end production lines will use an Ultrafine Grinder to further process the refined fish sauce, ensuring uniform taste, with a price of $16,000 to $42,000. A Vacuum Mill can also be used in this section to assist in filtration and desalination, with a price of $15,500 to $36,000.

Price Impact of Low-Temperature Fermentation and Salt Reduction and Freshness Enhancement Technology

Leading enterprises in the industry have broken through the cycle and salt content bottlenecks of traditional natural fermentation. Low-temperature fermentation production technology selects deep-sea fish species, adds salt-tolerant and freshness-enhancing strains in the salting stage, and conducts long-term enzymolysis in a low-temperature environment of 15-20℃ (3-6 months). This technology significantly reduces the production of bitter peptides, and at the same time enables the fish sauce to have a strong umami taste at a lower salt content (20%-22%), realizing a technological leap of “reducing salt without reducing umami”. The investment in this technology accounts for about 10%-15% of the total price of the production line, depending on the scale of production and the level of strain screening.

For enterprises applying this technology, the annual production capacity of a single base can reach 40,000 tons of fish sauce. The investment in strain screening and equipment transformation is about $15,000 to $40,000. In addition, low-temperature fermentation requires a constant temperature control system to maintain the temperature of the fermentation environment at 15-20℃. The price of a small-scale constant temperature control system is about $3,000 to $8,000; the price of a large-scale system with full automatic control is between $9,000 and $22,000. Some production lines will use a cryogenic grinding machine to process auxiliary materials such as spice, which can better retain the flavor of the auxiliary materials, with a price of $21,000 to $46,000. A herb grinder, dry ginger grinding machine, licorice grinding machine and black pepper grinder can also be used to grind corresponding spices, with a single price of $2,800 to $6,500 each.

Price Impact of Fully Automatic Filling and Post-Packaging System

The degree of automation of fish sauce filling is in the leading level in the condiment industry, and the whole line from depalletizing to palletizing has been realized unmanned. The equipment configuration of this section mainly includes a high-speed filling and capping line and a flexible packaging compatible system. The price of this section accounts for about 20%-25% of the total price of the production line, and the price difference is very obvious according to the filling speed, accuracy and degree of automation.

The high-speed filling and capping line is the core of this section. Leading enterprises’ filling workshops are equipped with 5-7 fully automatic production lines, with a single-line speed of 10,000 bottles per hour (based on 500ml); high-speed models adopt 24 filling valves + 8 capping valves, with a designed production capacity of 8,000 bottles per hour and a filling accuracy of ≤±3‰. The complete process chain includes: automatic depalletizer → empty bottle washing machine → rotary filling machine (negative pressure isobaric or piston type) → automatic cap sorting and capping machine → vacuum capping machine → bottle drying machine → high-resolution coding machine → fully automatic labeling machine (accuracy ±1mm) → metal detection/weighing re-inspection → automatic cartoning machine → robot palletizer. The price of a small-scale filling and capping line with a speed of 5,000 bottles per hour is about $18,000 to $45,000; the price of a medium-scale line with a speed of 8,000-10,000 bottles per hour is between $46,000 and $100,000; the price of a large-scale high-speed line is $105,000 to $220,000.

The anti-crystallization design is an important feature of the fish sauce filling line. High-salt fish sauce is easy to precipitate salt crystals at the filling nozzle, leading to dripping and leaking. The filling valve of the high-speed machine is generally equipped with a negative pressure suction device at the moment of filling completion, and an insulation jacket (40-45℃) is added to maintain fluidity. The price of the negative pressure suction device is about $2,000 to $5,000 per filling line; the price of the insulation jacket is between $1,000 and $3,000. The flexible packaging compatible system can be compatible with various packaging materials such as glass bottles, PET bottles, composite bags and large catering buckets on the same line, with a changeover time of ≤30 minutes. The price of this system is about $5,000 to $15,000. In addition, some production lines will use a CE Certificate grinder to process packaging materials, which has passed European safety and quality certification, with a price of $4,500 to $11,000, 20%-30% higher than that of ordinary grinders. It should be noted that in regions where it is legally permitted, some production lines may be equipped with Industrial Weed Grinder to process cannabis as auxiliary materials, with a price of $12,500 to $29,000.

Price Impact of Digital Central Control System

The digital central control system is an important symbol of the intelligence of the automatic fish sauce production line, which can realize real-time monitoring, parameter adjustment and full-process traceability of the entire production line. The price of this system accounts for about 10%-15% of the total price of the production line, and the price difference is mainly determined by the control function, data processing capacity and traceability level.

The control architecture of the digital central control system consists of a PLC master station and multiple remote I/O slave stations to form an industrial Ethernet, which is centrally monitored by a touch screen or SCADA upper computer. Key parameters (feeding weight, salinity, fermentation temperature, stirring cycle, pressure filtration pressure, filling liquid level) are recorded in real-time curves and alarmed when exceeding the limit. The price of a small-scale digital central control system is about $6,000 to $16,000; the price of a large-scale system with full-process monitoring and remote control functions is between $17,000 and $42,000.

The formula management function of the system has built-in multiple varieties of fish sauce process formulas (such as original fish sauce, premium fish sauce, low-salt fish sauce). When called, it automatically adjusts hundreds of parameters such as batching ratio, desalination voltage and filling volume. The price of the formula management module is about $3,000 to $8,000. The traceability system associates each finished product code with raw material batch, fermentation tank number, pressure filtration time and sterilization temperature records, realizing two-way full-link traceability from the ocean to the dining table. The price of the traceability system is about $4,000 to $10,000. In addition, the digital central control system needs to be equipped with a universal grinder to process various auxiliary materials such as Seasam, Peanut, seeds, tea, flour, coffee, rice, sugar and salt, with a price of $6,500 to $17,000. It can also grind other materials such as metal, Medicine, bean, tobacco, chemical, corn, mushroom, bone and meat when needed, expanding the application scope of the equipment. A turbo grinder and a vibrating pulverizer can also be used in this section to process auxiliary materials, with prices of $5,500 to $13,000 and $6,500 to $16,000 respectively. A high speed Dry Grinder is used for drying and grinding some auxiliary materials, with a price of $10,500 to $26,000; a Dry Fruit Powder Grinder Machine can grind dry fruits and seeds into powder, with a price of $8,500 to $21,000; a cassava grinding machine can process cassava as auxiliary raw materials, with a price of $7,500 to $17,000.

Other Factors Affecting the Price

In addition to the above factors, there are many other factors that affect the price of the automatic fish sauce production line. First, the brand and quality of the equipment. Well-known brands have higher product quality, more mature technology and better after-sales service (such as free installation, debugging, training and long-term supply of spare parts), so the price is usually 10%-20% higher than that of ordinary brands. For example, the CE Certificate grinder has passed the European safety and quality certification, with higher quality and safety standards, and the price is 20%-30% higher than that of ordinary grinders without certification. Second, the transportation and installation costs. The automatic fish sauce production line is composed of large-scale equipment, which needs professional transportation and installation teams to complete the work. The transportation and installation costs usually account for 5%-10% of the total price of the production line, depending on the distance between the equipment manufacturer and the enterprise and the difficulty of installation.

Third, the customization requirements. If the enterprise has special customization requirements, such as special production capacity, special product specifications (such as small-size retail packaging, large-size industrial base material packaging) and special equipment configuration, the manufacturer needs to redesign and manufacture according to the requirements, which will increase the design and production costs, and thus the price of the production line. The customization cost usually accounts for 10%-15% of the total price. Fourth, the market supply and demand and policy factors. In the peak season of fish sauce production, the demand for the production line increases, and the price may rise slightly; in the off-season, the price may have a certain discount. In addition, the policy support of the local government for the food processing industry will also affect the actual investment cost of the enterprise, such as providing subsidies for the purchase of equipment. It should be noted that the use of Industrial Weed Grinder and cannabis processing is only allowed in regions where it is legally permitted, and relevant procedures need to be completed.

In summary, the price of the automatic fish sauce production line is affected by many factors, including annual production capacity, core fermentation equipment configuration, desalination technology level, degree of automation, digital control system, brand and quality, transportation and installation costs, customization requirements, etc. When purchasing the production line, enterprises should comprehensively consider their own actual needs and fund budget, select the appropriate equipment configuration. For example, small enterprises with limited funds can choose small and medium-sized production lines equipped with small grinder machine, 200KG grinder and Electric Grinder; medium and large-sized enterprises with stable sales channels can choose large-scale production lines equipped with 500KG Grinder, CE Certificate grinder, Hammer Mill, Ultrafine Grinder and other high-power equipment, and configure intelligent filling and digital central control systems to improve production efficiency and product competitiveness. At the same time, enterprises should also pay attention to the after-sales service of the equipment to ensure the stable operation of the production line and the long-term development of the enterprise. All equipment involved in the production line should meet food safety standards, especially the parts in contact with food, which should be made of food-grade stainless steel to ensure the quality and safety of the final fish sauce product.