Tetra Pak launches New Tetra Therm Aseptic Visco Unit for High Viscous and Particulate Foods

The new technology greatly reduces fouling in the system since the product is less likely to stick to surfaces and burn, reducing cleaning time and enabling longer running hours.

1 Dec 2009 --- Tetra Pak has launched a new Tetra Therm Aseptic Visco unit, for high viscous and particulate products that cuts products losses by up to 50%, boosts production flexibility, and further maximizes food safety thanks to an innovative new heat exchanger.

The Tetra Therm Aseptic Visco high pressure unit is a continuous food-processing unit that enables efficient high-capacity UHT treatment for high viscous soups and sauces, tomato pastes, custard desserts, fruit preparations, vegetable purees and baby food products. The capacity of this unit for high viscous products can run up to 18,000 litres/hour and higher.

At the heart of this unit is a high-pressure-rated coil tubular heat exchanger, called Tetra Vertico, that handles pressures up to 350 bar and enables higher in-pipe velocity and lower system volumes – meaning it takes fewer litres to fill up the system, which translates into smaller mix zones (product/water), shorter change over times and faster start-up.

Lower system volumes also reduce product losses by up to 50% compared to conventional equipment used for processing high-viscous and particulate foods, which, in turn, cuts costs associated with lost raw material, waste handling and utilities, and increases profits instead. The new technology greatly reduces fouling in the system since the product is less likely to stick to surfaces and burn, reducing cleaning time and enabling longer running hours.

Furthermore, lower product losses and cleaning volumes also translates into reduced waste, simplifying waste handling and lowering environmental impact compared to conventional equipment used for processing high-viscous and particulate foods.

The higher pressure in the new unit also makes it less sensitive to variations in product viscosity than conventional equipment, which enables food producers to run the full range of viscous products at higher capacities than previously possible in the same unit, for greater production flexibility.

The hygienic design of the new Tetra Therm Aseptic Visco unit maximizes food safety with the fewest possible welds and easy to clean surfaces. Advanced automation ensures total production control and full traceability, while reducing downtime and the risk of human error.

“Within our targeted segments of prepared food production, we are able to offer complete solutions that match each customer’s specific needs. These solutions, under the new name Tetra Victenso, enable producers to maximize product quality and operational efficiency. Moreover, they are backed by performance guarantees that cover the entire scope of what we deliver,” said Sam Strömerstén, President of Tetra Pak Processing Systems.

This new high-pressure Tetra Therm Aseptic Visco unit is the latest development in Tetra Pak's range of Tetra Victenso customized production solutions for prepared food. Tetra Victenso is the third customized production solution, following the Tetra Lactenso for dairy solutions, and Tetra Vertenso for beverage solutions launched earlier this year.