Tips for Extending the Shelf Life: Latest Developments in Aseptic Packaging

This article has collected some of the latest developments in aseptic packaging and extended shelf-life packaging (ESL). Currently, the market is technically full of challenges, but the direction of development is very clear. Glass coating for increased barrier properties The role of barrier coatings is critical in aseptic packaging and extended shelf life packaging. This coating can help improve the oxygen barrier properties of plastic bottles and extend the shelf life of products. Some people give up barrier coating research while others persist. Sidel recently announced that it has processed and sold 1 billion Actis-coated bottles. Sig Holdings’ efforts in coating have not stopped. The Plasmax technology developed jointly by the company and Schott HiCotec can provide transparent, barrier-free, 100% recyclable bottles. The company attaches great importance to this technology and even established the Sig Plasmax Affairs Department, which is responsible for Plasmax installation and commissioning. The specific name of the technology behind Plasmax is Plasma Pulse Chemical Vapor Deposition (PICVD), which uses a combination of microwave and vacuum to coat a thin, transparent layer of glass on the inside of PET bottles. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States issued Foodstuff No. 000329 in July 2003 to permit the use of Plasmax in food and beverage packaging. In addition, the European non-profit Petcore Organization (PET Container Recycling Europe) also agreed to use Plasmax technology. The organization is committed to promoting the use and recycling of PET containers, and this year recognized Plasmax as a fully recyclable packaging container. The first Plasmax prototype was tested in Switzerland. Plasmax 12D was officially put into production in July 2003 with a bottle capacity of 0.4-1L and a speed of 10,000 bottles/hour. The coated bottles are aseptically filled directly into the sales channel. According to Prometet Nag, sales and marketing manager of Sig Plasmax, other Plasmax coating systems have been put into commercial production in Japan, and several US companies have also expressed strong interest. Nag added that “Plasmax needs a long way to go. Our equipment has been greatly improved since it was put into production. However, we will not stop our R&D efforts and will continue to optimize our processing technology and equipment.” Pepsi Milk Quaker Milk Chillers, a product of PepsiCo, was launched in the United States in mid-August. According to industry insiders, the 16-ounce plastic bottle is filled by Jasper Products. Jasper Products was also the filler for Raging Cow, and Raging Cow chose a 14 oz. aseptically filled milk drink launched by Dr Pepper/SevenUp in March 2003. It uses a full-body shrink-sleeve label, six months of shelf-life at room temperature, and the image of the cartoon cow on the bottle is very similar to that of PepsiCo's Milk Chillers. This product was withdrawn from the market about a year ago. Milk Chillers uses calorie-free sweeteners, including sucrose, sucralose, Acesulfame K (ASK), and other nutrients near 2% milk. "In addition," PepsiCo declared, "Since Milk Chillers uses state-of-the-art aseptic technology, the shelf life at room temperature can be up to 6 months." Milk Chillers' transportation and sales environment are at room temperature, and the retail price is $1.55. Light-resistant UHT milk Grupo Leche Pascual of Madrid, Spain is the first beverage maker to use plastic bottles made of Lacpet material (the latest in PET). Lacpet is a new material developed by France's Tergal Fibres and Sidel to add titanium dioxide to PET. Titanium dioxide masterbatch pellets were added to PET pellets and injection molded into preforms. The Lacpet bottle is white, so the contents are protected from UV rays. Leche Pascual, a well-known food and beverage manufacturer in Europe, installed two Sidel Combi SF Ultra 16 FMf 36/36T devices, which mainly blow 150ml and 1.5L Lacpet bottles and complete the aseptic filling of UHT milk and lactic acid bacteria beverages. The aluminum foil heat sealing of the bottle mouth is also completed by the Combi system in a sterile environment. Downstream of the Combi system is a cover machine. “The most common packaging for lactic acid bacteria beverages and UHT milk is paper bricks. Our PET bottle packaging can maintain a shelf life of 90 days at room temperature. This type of packaging makes our products one step ahead of similar products in the market.” Leche Pascual News The spokesman said. Although this new package cannot immediately replace the sterile paper brick in a short time, it has become a completely new choice. The spokesperson also added that “PET production lines are more flexible and the conversion between tasks is faster, and the paper brick production line can only process a single product and a single size.” Some beverage manufacturers are also looking for black smoke with UV blocking capabilities. Layer HDPE multi-layer co-extruded plastic bottles. According to Tergal, the advantage of Lacpet is that it does not require the use of multi-layer technologies that are very complex to use. Leche Pascual set the two Sidel Combi in late 2004 and the delivery time was in the first quarter of 2005. Each system has 16 blowing groups, 36 flow-type filling valves and 36 sealing devices. The speed of the system can reach 22,500 bottles/hour. A microbiological confirmation agreement is also included in the order. The agreement will select 10% of the 18,000 bottle selections in each batch for contamination testing. "The results of the tests were very satisfactory." A spokesman for Leche Pascual said, "The first batch of UHT milk was put on the market in early July. The yoghurt portion is still being tested and it is believed that it will be officially launched in the near future." Sterile Packaging: Prosperous The Frost & Sullivan survey published by the market in July believes that the aseptic packaging market is constantly evolving. With the gradual slowdown in the growth rate of cardboard or carton packaging, film packaging and hard plastic packaging have become a rapidly growing market. The survey forecasted that the total aseptic packaging market revenue in the United States from 2004 to 2011 will increase at a rate of 3.4% per year. Compared with cardboard, soft and hard plastic packaging grows faster. It is estimated that the total sales of cardboard packaging in 2011 will reach 277.6 million US dollars, with an annual growth rate of 0.8%. The total sales of soft and hard plastic packaging in 2011 will reach 198 million US dollars, an annual growth rate of up to 7%. The total sales of the aseptic plastic packaging market will reach USD 62.4 million in 2011, with an annual growth rate of 6.7%. The report also pointed out in detail the power and resistance of market development. In addition, the report also suggests that as aseptic packaging is the mainstream of future markets, manufacturers should endeavor to withstand the high costs of purchasing materials and installing sterile equipment. The reason why the cost of aseptic packaging is high is due to the low efficiency of the equipment and the high skill requirements of the operators. In addition, Packaging Strategies recently published the book “American Aseptic Packaging: Systems, Installation, and Trends in the Food and Beverage Market”. The main points include: ◆ The total number of manufacturers currently using aseptic filling in the United States is 558. ◆ 28 out of 33 aseptic filling equipment are installed in the United States. ◆ The annual retail volume of aseptic packaging in the United States is close to US$12 billion. ◆ Aseptic packaging will complete the transition from high-acid foods to low-acid foods. Interested in this report, call +1-610 436 4220, ext. Arla's Clean Blow Molding Technology Generally, aseptic filling is designed to maintain shelf stability. As the manufacturer fills and seals the product in a sanitary environment, the product can be stored for one year without refrigeration or preservatives. At Arla Foods' new facility, aseptic filling is not primarily aimed at shelf life. The company's Cravendale Purefiltre product does not use aseptic processing technology. It uses a unique filtration process before sterilization to remove the bacteria that cause milk spoilage, while preserving the nutrients and the original taste. The processing system used at the factory is blow-aseptic filling - Purefiltre. Arla said that the products produced using this process are fresher and more dairy-like. The product can be stored for 7 days after opening and can be kept for 20 days without opening. The factory pays great attention to all technical details of production and processing, including the inspection and confirmation of aseptic filling systems. During the blowing process, the company selected Logoplaste's "through-the-wall" technology. Logoplaste was responsible for processing HDPE bottles. The processing equipment was Milacron's UMR2000CB Alternate Rotary Blowing System. Logoplaste is the first user to put the system into commercial operation. The system uses the so-called "clean blowing" technology. Sterile broth Dale`s Kitchen was the first food vendor to formally use the Fresh Flow TapTM dispenser. The device, provided by International Dispensing Corp., has a patented single-pass flow design that helps aseptically packaged bag-in-box products remain hygienic even after opening. Fresh Flow Tap consists of 5 parts: cover, silicone seal, pusher, check valve and anti-theft ring. There is also a small pressure sensitive seal on the flow port. Dale`s Kitchen Launches Box-in-Box Stock in a in October