Pistacia terebinthus L. fruit production process optimization: Technological and environmental evaluation using simulation techniques

The objective of this research is to create a novel process model for the large-scale processing. of Pistacia terebinthus L. (menengiç) fruit and assess the model's viability from a technological and financial standpoint. The creation of by-products like menengiç oil, ice cream, cones, and animal feed support materials was included into the study's focus, which was the instant coffee production process.A simulation model with a 10,000 kg/batch raw material capacity was used to build the process design; flow division points were tuned to enhance product diversity. The allocation of product flows affected the production quantities and by-product yields, according to comparisons between scenarios. For instance, 1,017 tons of ash are produced annually even when only 5% of the flow is used for this purpose, but 865 tons of product are produced annually from a 10% ice cream flow.According to economic calculations, raw material expenses made up about 84% of overall manufacturing costs, and the total capital investment (TCI) was estimated to be between 11.01 and 12.98 million USD. Profitability rose with capacity expansion, but it fell sharply with capacity reduction; the internal rate of return (IRR) ranged from 51.51% to 37.72%.The results show that menengiç fruit may be used to make a wide range of high-value food products, not simply coffee, and that capacity planning and product diversification techniques can increase the investment's competitiveness.