Innovative treatment and processing techniques open up new possibilities beverage industry
Symposium "bottling sensitive drinks" the Akademie Fresenius shows innovations from research and industrial practice
The variety of filling goods and production processes in the beverage industry is constantly growing. Most of the new products are considered "sensitive" and require careful handling. Influencing factors that can affect a sensitive beverage are numerous and constantly pose new challenges for plant manufacturers and producers. Innovative solutions are now emerging for some of the challenges: New methods promise optimized processes and improved product properties. The most important innovations and other new findings in the field were presented at the 10th Fresenius specialist conference "Filling Sensitive Drinks" on September 12th and 13th, 2012 in Mainz.
For the first time the world's first "USB forming" the company E-proPLAST GmbH was presented for Hot Fill PET at the Fresenius Conference. The "Ultra-Sonic-Bottle-forming", the full name of the process, brings uses ultrasound PET bottles back into shape who deformed after hot filling. With the new method, a similar bottle weight as in the cold-aseptic filling and thus a significant cost reduction can be achieved, emphasized CEO Rüdiger Löhl one of the main advantages of the new method. About interface and molecular friction arises when ultrasonic heat which let deform the plastic and internal pressure producing said Löhl. In this way, a flat bottom and an absolutely smooth outer surface of the bottle, which can be consequently labeled very well with low-cost paper labels would result. About the method further to reach an optimal level, and greater design freedom in the design of the PET bottle, closed Löhl.
PEF and HPP improve product quality
Matthias Schulz (TU Berlin) presented at the conference two as yet little used on an industrial scale treatment processes for sensitive beverages before: On the one hand, the method of pulsed electric fields (pulsed electric field processing, PEF) offers the opportunity to produce a non-thermal cell disruption and thereby to optimize various process parameters such as the juice yield in fruit or the crushing performance. As a result, you reach an additional release of ingredients, explained Schulz. On the other hand can be used by isostatic high-pressure (High Pressure Processing, HPP) is a highly effective method for inactivating microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and yeasts and bacterial spores, without damaging the quality and the natural characteristics of the product term. Use the innovative method could one up to 10 times longer durability are achieved Schulz campaigned for the advantages of the process. Already commercially available product examples were to be found in fruit juices or smoothies, which are partly not only the vitamin content have improved by HPP, but also its sensory parameters in the test were viewed more positively than in products without these applications.
Interaction between process and product features high
In addition to new ways of processing of sensitive beverages has also pointed out the dangers of process technology for such products. In the design of systems to little would previously thought to the physical properties of a drink, while these are essential for meaningful planning process, led by Dr. Jörg Zacharias from (Krones AG). Each process step can change certain characteristics of a product - depending on the process section must therefore be expected due to the process of changes in individual physical characteristics, or at least the visual appearance of a beverage or its raw materials, so Zacharias. For example, done damage to fruit pieces mostly by the temperature and mechanical stress of the process. However, general statements are not possible for this purpose, since the quality of the raw material and the type of fruit used have a decisive influence on the final effect. In any case, particularly relevant when planning the system are information on the viscosity and particulate composition of a product, since the interaction between these properties and the process usually round will be particularly serious.
Without information no conformity
Dr. Ullrich Nehring (Institut Nehring GmbH) showed at the conference that the flow of information to must significantly improve the value chain in order to meet the increased requirements of food law compliance packaging can. At each stage of the chain, the stakeholders need to play their part to achieve compliance not only, but to be able to prove also. In particular, fillers and other product manufacturers are called upon to examine the conformity of evidence upstream stages (ie from packaging producers) and in turn carry out comprehensive risk analyzes and risk assessments of supplied packaging material. however, is a problem that the necessary information to verify the evidence was previously often not passed on to the bottlers, these are but for a proper examination absolutely necessary, said Nehring. Here would the packaging manufacturers and their upstream suppliers in any case, more transparency and provide bottlers with all relevant information in order to provide proper examination can concluded Nehring.
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The conference documentation including scripts from all the presentations can Fresenius Conference for the price of 295, - EUR plus VAT at the Akademie Fresenius be based...
Source: Dortmund, Mainz [Akademie Fresenius]
