Aseptic cold filling

Aseptic cold filling technology is emerging in the beverage industry in China. Compared with the hot filling technology, it is applicable to a wider range of products. The overall cost of the product is lower and the taste of the beverage is also better. However, due to the large one-time investment, the application of aseptic cold filling technology in China has not yet been widely used.

It is reported that China currently has more than 20 aseptic cold filling production lines. Unlike Japan, the aseptic cold filling lines originally introduced in China are the most advanced vial high-speed production lines.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) has a complete beverage production equipment R&D and production department. In addition to the traditional hot filling line, Mitsubishi has also launched a PET bottle aseptic cold filling production line, and hopes to be able to Enter the fast-growing Chinese beverage market.
Relevant information indicates that there were 47 aseptic cold filling lines for PET bottles in Japan in 2003. It is estimated that the proportion of aseptic filling in PET bottle filling beverages in Japan will exceed 40% in 2004.
In the initial stage, aseptic cold filling in Japan was dominated by large-bottle packaging lines. After 2002, the vial filling line grew rapidly, indicating that the application of high-speed lines has gradually increased. In the 47 aseptic cold filling production lines in Japan in 2003, there were 28 vial lines with a total production capacity of 1.04 million kl/year, and the average production capacity per line was 589 bottles/minute, which was about 35,000 bottles/hour; There are 19 large bottle lines, with a total production capacity of 1.51 million kl/year, and the average production capacity of each line is 215 bottles/minute, which is about 13,000 bottles/hour.

Technical Features of Aseptic Cold Filling Line

The main equipments of aseptic cold filling line include: PET bottle sterilizer, bottle rinsing machine, aseptic filling machine, bottle cap machine, cap sterilizer, CIP/SIP device, peracetic acid circulation/supply device, sterile water Manufacturing equipment.

Aseptic cold filling machine uses non-contact filling to prevent leakage around the filling nozzle

The key to the aseptic cold filling line is to sterilize bottles and caps, maintain the sterility of the filling area, and close the caps in an aseptic condition.
Taking neutral beverages such as tea filling as an example, the aseptic cold filling system for PET bottles generally consists of a front chamber where bottles and caps enter, a product liquid reconstitution chamber, a sterilization chamber, and containers and caps are sterilized and then sterilized after filling. Cabin and product output of the rear room and other components.

Use bottleneck-holding conveying method to reduce bottle conveying failure

Sterilization of containers is a very critical process. Considering its safety and reducing the sterilization cost, the method of sterilizing the container is not the same for different filling products. Acidic beverages For products with a pH less than 4.6, such as juices, sports drinks, and coffee, and low-acid beverages such as tea, milk beverages, and coffee, products with a pH above 4.6 may be widely used for over-acid vinegar injection and hydrogen peroxide spray. However, because mineral water products can control harmful microorganisms, hot water, caustic soda, ozone water and other methods are suitable.
Different methods of sterilization have differences in cost and technical difficulty. Hydrogen peroxide spray can sterilize for a short time, but the residual amount of the drug is not stable (hydrogen peroxide is attached to the bottle), and the container will shrink when it is hot.
In the production practice, companies should choose the appropriate sterilization method according to different products and manufacturing environment.
In addition to selecting a suitable sterilization method, it is also necessary to select the appropriate sterilization time and other related operation methods. PAA sterilization method, its concentration, temperature and the management of injection pressure are very important. The sterilization time of the PET bottle is about 10 seconds, and the bottle cap requires more than 3 times the time compared to the bottle due to the complicated shape of the contaminants. Sterilization of the sterile indoor bottle uses two bottle washing machines and one bottle washing machine. The fungicide is used to simultaneously sterilize and wash the interior of the bottle.
At the same time, the bottle is transported by inverted type to expand the scope of sterilization and miniaturization of the device.
Mitsubishi's aseptic filling system employs the following advanced technologies for high productivity and long-term aseptic filling operations:
â—‡ Holding the bottleneck conveying method, no need to change the bottle type, reduce the bottle conveying failure;
â—‡ Non-spiral supply bottle cap to prevent bottle jamming;
â—‡ Non-contact filling to prevent leakage around the filling nozzle;
â—‡ Super servo capper ensures its tightness and can be adjusted automatically.
In order to assure sterility and prevent secondary pollution, each station of the aseptic filling system must maintain the corresponding pressure, the order of its pressure is: filling> capping> bottle-rinsing machine> sterilizing machine> anterior chamber posterior chamber.
The Advantages of Aseptic Cold Filling Lines The PET bottle aseptic cold filling process has three major advantages:
First, due to the lower filling temperature and relatively low requirements for bottles, ordinary non-heat-resistant and non-pressure-resistant PET bottles can be used, because the PET bottles are very cheap and the PET bottles are lighter. Make it easy to injection molding online, thereby reducing production costs;

Super servo capping machine has several procedures for finding the cover, temporary cover and formal cover, which can reduce the occurrence of oblique sealing or damage of the cap.

The second is that aseptic cold filling can produce beverages with insufficient heat and filling for sterilization, such as mixed tea, coffee milk, milk tea, and healthy beverages; it can be filled with almost all beverages. Especially for beverages such as fruit juice drinks, tea, and milk, because there is no effect of heat treatment, it will not damage its nutrient components, and it can produce high-quality products with excellent aroma and taste.
The third is that it can operate continuously for a long time, and it has features such as high productivity, low consumption of water, and high yield, which reduces production costs.
The packaging cost of PET bottle beverage products generally accounts for more than half of the total cost. In the manufacturing cost of aseptic cold filling products, the cost of PET bottles accounts for 64%. Compared with hot-filled PET bottles, aseptic cold-filled bottles have a significant advantage in manufacturing costs because of their light weight and low cost. Assume that 120 million beverage bottles are produced each year; 26 grams of PET resin are needed for heat-resistant bottles; the cost of bottles is 0.5 yuan; 21 grams of PET resins are used for non-heat-resistant bottles used for aseptic filling; the cost of bottles is 0.25 yuan, which is the difference. It is 30 million yuan a year.
In addition to cost advantages, aseptic cold filling technology broadens the scope of application of the product, which is beneficial to beverage companies to develop new products and increase their product competitiveness. And according to the preferences of consumers, new products can be produced. It can be foreseen that the PET bottle aseptic filling system will continue to be popularized and developed in China in the next few years.