Plant and process for producing puree and/or juice starting from a food product of vegetable origin

A plant for producing juice and/or puree starting from a food product of vegetable origin, said plant comprising:

• an extraction machine including a rotor mounted within a sieve provided with a plurality of holes, said rotor being configured to rotate about a rotation axis to cause a starting food product at a temperature T0 introduced through a first inlet to be divided in:
• an extracted food product containing the juices and/or puree, which passes through said holes and is discharged through a first outlet, and
• a waste product which, instead, does not pass through said holes and is discharged through a second outlet;
• a heat exchange apparatus positioned downstream of said extraction machine and configured to heat, or cool, said food product from an inlet temperature up to a predetermined outlet temperature thus obtaining, respectively, a heated, or cooled, food product;
• a deaeration and/or concentration apparatus that is operatively connected to a device for generating a predetermined vacuum degree, said deaeration and/or concentration apparatus being configured to contain a predetermined quantity of said extracted food product and to maintain said predetermined quantity of said extracted food product at a temperature Tv and at a predetermined vacuum degree, in such a way to deaerate and/or concentrate said extracted food product;
• and
• a recirculation circuit that is configured to recirculate a predetermined quantity of heated, or cooled, and deaerated and/or concentrated food product into said extraction machine, said heated, or cooled, and deaerated and/or concentrated food product recirculated into said extraction machine being arranged to exchange a predetermined thermal power with said extracted food product.