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Fluid ideas for sensitive beverages

(beveragemanager.net) - At the end of March, Anuga FoodTec 212 drew an international crowd to Cologne in Germany. The trans-industry trade show for food and beverage technology takes place every year in this city, home to the famous cathedral on the Rhine, and traditionally has a strong focus on machinery and equipment for the dairy industry.

In 2009, at the height of the financial crisis, the relatively new Anuga FoodTec trade show had to pass a practical test. Many well-known exhibitors hit the brakes on costs like crazy, chopped their trade show budgets, and cancelled their exhibitor applications. The show in Cologne even lost its main exhibitor, Tetra Pak, which normally would have filled at least half a building on its own. In 2012, at the sixth trade show, the eye of the hurricane had moved on, and the organizers were delighted with the most successful Anuga FoodTec show to date. Tetra Pak came back, with a full roster and a bouquet of innovations, but SIG Combibloc and Elopak were still reluctant. Also absent from the event was KHS, which of course their competitor Krones thought was not so bad.

Two objectives: environmental protection and performance

Tetra Pak presented four innovations for its carton packaging portfolio. They are intended to further improve the environmental friendliness of the best-selling Tetra Pak products. With a tear-off top for the Tetra Evero Aseptic, and three recyclable polyethylene closures based on plant materials, the company is trying to underscore its environmental ambitions. The green PE closures were implemented in cooperation with Braskem, Brazil’s largest petrochemical company. They are made from derivatives of sugar cane.

The new additions to the portfolio also include two new portion packages based on the very successful Tetra Brik Aseptic Edge packaging, and a tear-off opening for on-the-go consumption for packaging in the Tetra Top Carton Shot series. At the end of the year, the company is also expanding its Tetra Rex line, adding a package with a new, droplet-shaped design. The Tetra Gemina Aseptic series also has two additional new designs.

After 2013, production flexibility will be increased as well. The new Tetra Pak A3/CompactFlex iLine, with a production capacity of up to 9,000 packages per hour, will be able to produce four products on a single production line.

Technology for sensitive and singular goods

The corporate subsidiary Sidel has refined its aseptic Combi Predis FMa technology, in order to meet the growing demand for aseptic filling of teas, juices, nectars, and isotonic beverages. The new high-speed version will be able to fill small containers of up to 700 milliliters at a rate of 48,000 bottles per hour, which are largely intended for consumption on the go. With this trade show presence, Sidel is also setting new standards for sensitive products in PET bottles. In recent years, they have had the largest growth. The company demonstrated the Combi Predis Capdis FMa to address this area, which is specially conceived for aseptic blow molding, filling, and closing of sensitive products in PET bottles. Beverages made with original fruit pulp and particles are making advances. Sidel has expanded its portfolio in this area, in order to be able to offer technologies for hot-fill and aseptic filling for this product group as well.

The filling procedure is much more complex here than for conventional juices, and the size of the fruit particles is not the only challenge: the quality and precision of the fill, distribution of particles, and physical integrity of the particles also need to be considered. The Veloce ISD machine is designed for hot-fill production, while the Sensofill FMa filler is used for aseptic filling with particles. The Veloce ISD can dispense particles of up to 10x10x10 millimeters in size. The in-line filler is based on a two-stage filling process. First, a specific quantity of particles is metered as a “pumpable” mash, and then the bottle is filled with liquid juice. The Sensofill FMa, in contrast, is based on the proven aseptic Predis technology, and uses dry preform decontamination, which means that no more water is needed, and no wastewater is generated. Both technologies are able to meter particle concentrations of 10 to 200 ml.(bmg)