UV absorbers for clear, transparent PET bottles
Drinktec Milliken will demonstrate how its ClearShield Colorless UV Absorbers can bring value to PET packaging by protecting UV-sensitive contents from degradation while maintaining the material’s clarity and transparency. ClearShield is intended to protect beverages and other UV-sensitive contents against harmful light exposure by incorporating the UV blocker into the PET package itself. These absorbers filter 95% of UV light at up to 390 nanometers and are effective at low loadings, enabling the use of more highly UV-sensitive natural colourants in the packaged products.
At Drinktec, Milliken will use real-life examples and case studies to highlight how these additives create a new UV protection performance standard for PET bottles and containers, including for such products as juices and energy drinks. Due to the photo-oxidation effect, most vitamins are sensitive to light, heat and oxygen in the presence of light. Vitamin degradation can lead to off-flavour and colour shift in the beverage formulation.
Milliken says that studies have shown that vitamin A’s shelf life, for example, is 30 times better when protected in a ClearShield-modified bottle than when packaged in standard PET. Vitamin B6 shows a better than 70 times improvement, riboflavin seven times, folic acid 3.5 times and vitamin B12 double the shelf life. ClearShiels is approved for food-contact applications by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
