Live at Emballage
Decontamination method reduces chemical use
the amount of chemicals needed for sterilization and increases
shelf-life, claims its manufacturer.
Sidel is demonstrating a prototype of its new Predis system here at Emballage, offering processors a method of meeting growing consumer concerns about the amount of chemicals industry uses in manufacturing food products.
Sidel claims the new process -- a dry contamination method using hydrogen peroxide vapour -- uses 40 times less chemicals than the traditional sterilisation systems currently used by industry.
In June this year Sidel installed the first Predis system at Croatian dairy company Lura. The system has been packaging 100ml bottles of flavoured probiotic milk at a rate of 14,400 bottles an hour, said Gerard Ferrat, a Sidel product manager.
"This is a groundbreaking technology," he told FoodProductionDaily.com.
The system achieves a 3-log reduction in contamination levels on preformed packaging. This means that only three out of every 3,000 germs will survive the process, he said by way of example.
Predis is a dry contamination system that uses from 5mg to 15mg of hydrogen peroxide per perform, 40 times less than ones involving bottle rinsing. No water is needed for the process.
By eliminating the rinser, the number of mechanical parts is reduced resulting in lower maintenance and labour costs, Sidel claims.
The company developed the system on its existing Combi product, the company's integrated blowing, filling and capping machine. The method works by first transferring perform bottles or packaging by the neck on a wheel from the infeed to the oven entrance.
Nozzles, calibrated to between 120C and 140C, apply the hydrogen peroxide vapour to the performs. The vapour condenses evenly on the smooth internal walls of the performs, Ferrat said.
The performs are then heated in the oven to 100C. The thermal conditioning activates the hydrogen peroxide. Bottles are blown using filtered air. Transfer by the neck in a controlled atmosphere in the Combi ensures that no recontamination occurs throught he filling and capping phase of the process.
Bringing the Combi and Predis machines together allows processors to reduce bottle weight due to the continuous by-the-neck transfer system, Sidel claims.
Ferrat said the increased hygiene achieved for packaging dairy products can help extend their best-by-date.
The company can provide Predis machines with a capacity of between 10,800 to 36,000 bottles per hour.
Ferrat also said Sidel has developed a software tool that allows companies to calculate the total cost of ownership for the machines, compared to their existing processes.
