PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2014

BOTTLES 45 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 01+02/14 www.petpla.net Barrier yogurt container Empresas Polar, a leading Venezuelan food and bever- age manufacturer, has announced the commercial launch of Venezuela’s first ambient stored yogurt. The non-refrig- erated pourable product, called MiGurt, is packaged in an aseptically filled, 750g barrier PET package supplied by Amcor Rigid Plastics. Empresas Polar, its subsidiary Pas- cual Andina and Amcor jointly developed the new packag- ing solution with the intention of competing with leading cold distribution channel products. The multi-serve pourable yogurt product has a shelf life of six months and requires no refrigeration prior to opening. The extended shelf life enables Empresas Polar to use its nationwide ambient dis- tribution chain to reach consumers, including low-income regions, that are not served by refrigerated distribution channels. Amcor’s contribution included the custom design of its first light-blocking, aseptically filled PET container. It used advanced barrier technology to meet aseptic filling requirements (up to 140F/60C) and provide light-blocking capabilities to prevent spoilage and degradation, while main- taining its nutritional value. The design features an unique hour-glass appearance that optimises PET material distribu- tion throughout the container. The processing challenges presented by the bottle’s highly white pigmented, opaque structure were overcome by adapting special re-heat tech- nology. The barrier PET container features a single-lead 38mm finish with a foil induction seal and is wrapped with a brightly-coloured shrink sleeve label. Empresas Polar plans to expand the family of MiGurt yogurt with single-serve 100-g and 250-g products. www.amcor.com www.espresas-polar.com NitroHot-fill bottle Krones AG has updated its NitroHotfill process with the launch of a new bottle design. The company says that its technology, first released in 2009, enables bottles to be produced with minimised weight, without the typical vacuum panels, and requires significantly less energy and is more cost-efficient overall. The same designs can be handled on both aseptic and hotfill lines. The latest developments enable filling temperatures of up to 90C; the company says that this characteristic is particularly relevant for Asian countries. The bottles’ bases have been developed to allow extremely light container weights: 15.5g for 500ml bottles, for example. Krones says that new, flatter, design-optimised bases can help to improve bottles’ visual appearance. It further claims that the latest NitroHotfill process now requires up to 40% less energy than conventional hotfill processes, offers higher potential for lightweighting, and extends the scope for creative design. Station outputs of up to 2,250 b/cavity per cavity have been achieved on Contiform 3 stretch blow- moulding machines. www.krones.com The latest version of Krones’ NitroHotfill process is claimed to offer improved potential for lightweighting and creative design, with panel-free side- walls and new, flatter bases.