Aseptic filling fundamentals

General

One of the conditions necessary to produce a pasteurized product with a microbiologically long life and which can be distributed at ambient temperature is Aseptic Packaging. This technology differs from conventional canning techniques in that the containers are pre-sterilized and then filled with cold product in a cold environment in commercially sterile conditions, followed by closure in a totally sterile environment.

Aseptic Packaging consists of filling systems operating in sterile conditions in hermetically sealed machines equipped with sterilization systems for the packaging prior to filling by using Hydrogen Peroxide which is distributed by means of a current of warm air, thus creating a bacteria free atmosphere in the filling section.

Before packaging, an aseptic conditioning is carried out which consists of disinfecting all components used in the conditioning, cleaning and sterilization stages aimed at reducing the initial contamination:

  1. Of the container.
  2. Of the sealing system.
  3. Of the materials used.
  4. Of the environment.

Aseptic benefits

The high efficiency of the thermal treatments during the aseptic process allows to hold all the product flavor and nutritive compounds. Thereby, the final quality of the product is higher than the obtained with traditional thermal process. Other advantages:

  1. Chemical preservatives are not necessary.
  2. Lower transport costs than IQF.
  3. Decrease storage costs.

Aseptic containers

Special attention must be paid to the package. The package in aseptic packaging systems plays a very important role because, if it cannot be hermetically sealed to provide an effective barrier to oxygen and to light, the sterilization achieved in the preparation stages will be lost.
If the package is permeable to oxygen and light, the oxygen naturally occurring in it will be increased and will generate different oxidation reactions depending on the product contained within it.

Various forms of aseptic packages commonly called Aseptic Bags are currently available on the market. The components of packages of this type are:

  1. The bag itself.
  2. A filling nozzle.
  3. A cap.
  4. A container.

The most commonly available sizes of bag are 5, 10, 20 and 200 Kg although the weights will vary with the specific density of the product contained.

The barrier material in these bags is normally vacuum metalized polyester or vinyl ethyl alcohol while the body of the bag is normally low or medium density polyethylene.

Applications

The HRS Aseptic Filler is ideally suited to satisfy the requirements of the market:

  1. Catering. A booming market which owes its growth to the modern trend of eating outside the home: company restaurants, administrative centers, hospitals, schools, etc.
  2. Low acid products. Vegetables (spinach leaves, whole peas, strips of peppers, diced onion, etc.), precooked meals, etc.
  3. Whole and diced fruit (peach, apricot, strawberry, pear, apple, tropical fruits etc.), pulps, purees and fruit concentrate.
  4. Fruit preparations.
  5. Diced tomatoes.
  6. Tomato concentrate, hot and cold break types.

HRS Spiratube designs and manufactures Bag-in-Drum and Bag-in-Box type HRS Aseptic Filler. Fillers with double heads are available for aseptic packaging with filling nozzles of 1 or 2 inches according to the type of product being packaged.

This type of filler uses preformed, pre-sterilized bags with a cap of 1 or 2 inches in different forms:

  1. Bags from 5 to 200 liters.
  2. Linked bags from 5 to 20 liters.


Castellano English