DEVELOPMENT OF AN USER-FRIENDLY VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF FOOD PROCESSING PLANTS: APPLICATION TO THE VALORIZATION PROCESS OF FISH SKINS TO OBTAIN GELATINES

The aim of this work is to develop a visual interface including the most repre¬sentative processes in the gelatin production from fish skin. Connecting different components from a library implemented in EcosimPro, users can easily configure a virtual plant according to their requirements, and test different scenarios attending to the quantity and quality of the raw material (normally subject to seasonal variations). In this way, it is possible to analyze the consumption of water, energy and reactives, as well as the quality and quantity of the product obtained by given variations in the inputs and/or the operational parameters. The approach is multipurpose, combining elements of design and simulation.