PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2011

BOTTLING / FILLING 29 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 10/11 www.petpla.net *Guarana and guarana-based soft drinks The indigenous peoples of South America have always considered guar- ana to be an elixir of life; an extremely valuable plant which provided them with food and a means of curing disease, alleviating pain and increasing phys- ical stamina, by virtue of its tonic and stimulating properties. Only the seeds of this plant were used, which each tribe used according to its own “recipe”. Tradition has it that clusters of half-open fruit were collected and put into con- tainers filled with cold water to extract the outer layers. After being cleaned, the extracts were roasted over a low heat and reduced to a powder, to which a small amount of water was added to form a smooth paste. From this mixture “log” shapes were extracted and smoked on a fire of resinous wood. The log obtained in this way was grated when required. Guarana is widely used in South America to prepare a famous soft drink, which is slightly fizzy, known by the same name, which, especially in Brazil, is syn- onymous with “soda”. The drink looks and tastes similar to cola-based drinks. It has a slightly stimulating effect and a sweet taste. As a medicine, it is available in tablets, sticks and, better still, powder. Still today, guarana is used to improve concentration, physical and mental stamina and to bring energy to the body. Refriso Bebida’s production line is completely automated by the Brazilian company, such as aluminium cans. SMI do Brasil, SMI’s local branch, has played a crucial role in advising Refriso of the best solutions for its present and future production requirements. All drinks which leave the company’s plants are subjected to continuous qual- ity controls by a dedicated technical team. An equal amount of care is put into the selection of raw materials and suppliers. www.smigroup.it SOMOS ® MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9, 64625 Bensheim/Germany Tel. +49 6251 77061-0 E-Mail: info@mh-protec.com www.mh-protec.com Injection moulding or extrusion: Superior materials processing will add more value to your operation! %HQH¿W IURP RXU VLQJOH VRXUFH VXS SO\ FDSDELOLW\ IRU HYHU\WKLQJ IURP LQGLYLGXDO SDUWV WR FRPSOHWH KDQG ling systems: Drying Mixing Dyeing Dosing Cutting Conveying Crystallizing 6HH RXU H[SHUWLVH IRU \RXUVHOI DW FAKUMA 2011! B3 3119