PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2013

MATERIAL / RECYCLING 12 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 01+02/13 www.petpla.net between the packaging date and its expiration date for consumption is what is known as the shelf-life of the milk and is a fundamental characteristic which determines the type of milk and the type of packaging required. Fig. 3 shows the various types of liquid milk according to its shelf-life , its industrial and packaging treatment, characteristics of the distribu- tion and packaging chain, as well as the possible types of packaging. UHT milk, with longer shelf life (up to 6 months) but which preserves the nutritional and taste content, is the milk showing the strongest growth in recent years. The latest technological advances in aseptic filling together with suitable packaging have made possible this pro- gress which has led to one of the highest growth rates in the food sector. Carton, with market-shares around 75.0% (Source: Zenith International, “ Global Aseptic Packaging Report ”, UK, 2009), occupies a dominant position, but it has begun to lose market share, with the growing penetration of other types of packaging: PET bottles have generated increasing interest and a growing market share in all the new long life milk packag- ing projects in many different parts of the world. The Novapet approach to dairy packaging As we have said, the components of milk, in particular some vitamins (B2, B12) and lipids, are especially sensitive to external agents which cause chemi- cal changes, degradation and nutritional loss accompanied by change in taste and aromas (off-flavours). Light has been shown to be the basic external agent in the induction of said changes. PET, presented essentially as a material for transparent containers, was therefore ignored as a viable material for packaging long life milk until very recently. In addition, the level (%) of pig- ments necessary to produce a suitable light screen in the wall of the bottle to protect the milk was revealed to be a major issue in its dosing and processa- bility in the conventional ISBM ( Injection- Stretch-Blow-moulding ) equipment and the degree of dispersion. This therefore rendered the homogeneity of the barrier along the wall of the container unaccep- table. Given these circumstances, it has been principally carton, with 75% market share in the EU and the multi-layer HDPE bottle (with 11%) which have been the dominant types of packaging, particularly for long life milk. Although PET has a share of only 4% (between 1.4-1.6 billion containers in the EU) of which approximately half are for long life milks (ESL and UHT) (see Fig. 4) Nova- pet claims it to be the type of packaging that shows higher sustained growth rates in recent years and it is present in any new long life milk packaging project. Fig. 4 Milk Packaging in Europe Type % Cartons 75 HDPE 11 PET 4 Glass 6 Others 4 Fig. 4: Source: Novapet Novapet has pioneered the develop- ment and delivery of solutions in PET resins and concentrates (first with ‘Dairy’, and is now completing its product port- folio with ‘DCU’ and ‘Luz’ concentrates) for long life milk products. Most of PET bottles for UHT milk currently present on the European market are based on Novapet’s ‘Dairy’ resins. According to Novapet, there are many advantages of PET as the preferred packaging for long life liquid milk. They include:  Flexible and modular light barrier functionality  Cost-competitive  Unbreakable  Lightness  Recloseable  Convenient  Leakage-free  Easy process at high productivity  Design and brand differentiation  Recyclability For those markets that are still requir- ing greater modularity, flexibility and per- sonalization of the final solution, Novapet has launched the range of concentrates DCU. In the case of ESL (Extended Shelf-Life) milks with cold chain distribu- tion and where they must be covered with an adapted functional light barrier, complying with the commitments regard- ing colour, transparency and corporate and brand identity Novapet completes its range of products for ling life milk in PET with the ‘Luz’ range of concentrates. Fig. 5 shows Novapet’s product portfolio for liquid milk in PET bottles, Fig. 3 Type of liquid milk, shelf-life and packaging Type of milk Shelf-life Industrial process of milk Filling pro- cess of milk Storage & Distribution Packaging Needs of light pro- tection Fresh 4-10 days Pasteurization Clean filling Cold T (4-8°C) Glass, plastic bottles, carton, pouches. No ESL (Extended Shelf-Life) (Europe) ESL, 14-24 days Sterilization, microfiltra- tion Ultra clean filling Cold T (4-8°C) Carton, coloured plastic bottles Yes, customized col- ours, transparency ESL (Extended Shelf-Life) (USA) ESL, 60 days Sterilization, microfiltra- tion (T more severe) Cold Aseptic filling Cold T (4-8°C) Carton, coloured plastic bottles Yes, customized col- ours, transparency UHT 3-6 months UHT, Uperization Cold Aseptic filling Ambient T Multilayer cartons and plastic bottles Yes, white opaque barrier solutions Fig. 5 Novapet’s product portfolio Opaque PET Bottles % light transmittance (trm) High light barrier % light trm at 550nm WL < 0.5% Full light barrier % light trm at 550nm WL < 0.1% Monolayer bottles ‘Dairy’, ‘DCU’ ‘DCU’ Multilayer bottles, and Netstal Prelactia ‘Dairy’ 2Cx Transparent or translucent PET bottles Monolayer bottles ‘Luz’ PET concentrates with functional light barrier performance for milk and light sensitive food and beverages while keeping brand identity Fig. 5: Source: Novapet Fig.3: Source: Novapet