Aseptic Filling of Sensitive Beverages in PET: Predis, the Dry Alternative

Aseptic packaging is used to extend the shelf life of sensitive drinks (juice, tea, flavored water and energy drinks) sold at room temperature.

04/04/09 Predis, Sidel’s patented dry preform decontamination system initially used for beverages distributed in the cold chain, can now also be used for products sold at ambient temperature. Dry technology for aseptic filling of sensitive products promises to be a major break with the past.

Aseptic packaging is used to extend the shelf life of sensitive drinks (juice, tea, flavored water and energy drinks) sold at room temperature. In response to evolving consumer preference and increasingly strict food regulations, aseptic filling creates the opportunity for sensitive beverages packaged with preservatives to reformulate naturally.

Combi PredisTM FMa is Sidel’s innovative, simple system for blowing bottles and filling sensitive products in aseptic conditions. The key feature setting the system apart from other equipment of the same type is its “dry preform technology”: bottle rinsing is replaced with dry preform sterilization at oven entrance, using hydrogen peroxide vapor (H2O2). Combi Predis FMa combines the Predis solution with Sidel’s newest aseptic filling technology, the Sensofill FMa, in a single equipment for blow molding, filling and capping.

Cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits

The dry sterilization solution for preforms has huge benefits. Predis ensures superior hygiene for sensitive beverages while offering unrivaled cost-effectiveness along with product and environmental benefits. While 250 m³ of water and 200 liters of chemicals are used daily to decontaminate bottles on a traditional aseptic bottling line, Predis dry-solution decontaminates preforms using hydrogen peroxide mist: it requires no water, extremely reduces the use of chemical agents and creates no effluent. Other benefits include energy savings, a smaller footprint and the potential for lighter bottles: high-temperature sterilization of preforms instead of bottles avoids thermal stress on empty bottles.

The Combi PredisTM FMa has already been selected by some beverage producers in Europe and North America.

A new frontier

PET is the dominant packaging material for juices, nectars and teas, and a growing alternative for milk. Treating low-acid beverages at ambient temperature,

such as milk and other dairy products, which are extremely delicate and require even more careful handling, is a real challenge. In collaboration with a dairy producer, Sidel is now crossing the final frontier: aseptic bottling of UHT milk with the Combi Predis FMa.