PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2017

PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 01+02/17 www.petpla.net 28 now fulfil customer wishes in a pur- poseful way”, says Alain Berberian, “In our own research projects, together with those we conduct in Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, we verified various effects under a range of parameters and “These light pulses achieve dena- turing and complete destruction of DNA, proteins and enzymes in a sus- tainable way,” explains Mr Berberian, while Mrs Magali Bry, his microbiolo- gist colleague, is preparing preforms inoculation with Bacillus atrophaeus for a challenge testing. “It is quite possible, today, in the bev- erage industry to come across such in- line continuous UV light treatments, but exclusively in the form of lower-intensity prolonged exposure, not as an intense light pulses,” says Mrs Franc. “That is where the difference lies. In order to achieve decontamination, a high-voltage pulse is created which, upon discharge, spikes the xenon lamp to a 1MW output for 0.3ms. The flash of light created by this covers the entire spectrum of white light, 20% of which is in the UV range and has a high amount of UVC. The treatment reaches the range of 1kW/cm² of UV light whereas normal continuous UVC operates in the W/cm² range or even lower. For pulsed light treatment in continuous use, the emission of energy is high, but thanks to the patented water cooling system, the temperature of the complete equipment is kept at around 35°C. Depending on which customer product it is dealing with, other fac- tors, such as the design of the reflector around the lamp, the optimal distance of the product from the light pulse or the number of flashes per treatment also play a decisive role in achieving the desired effect, too.” “We come into play, above all, when bottling sensitive beverages and liquid ZZZ IOH[EORZ FRP )OH[%ORZ 8OWUD )OH[LEOH 3(7 6WUHWFK %ORZPRXOGHUV :LGH 0RXWK -DUV +RW )LOO &RQWDLQHUV 2YDO %RWWOHV /DUJH 6L]H &RQWDLQHUV &KRLFH E\ 3DFNDJLQJ 3URGXFHUV 21( IRU $// food,” Mrs Franc adds. “We also have customers who are active in the area of water, with the issue of removing ozone. In fact, the number of enquiries that we receive for this technology is constantly rising. Due to the architecture of our equipment, we are increasingly having more to do with established filling line OEMs. The interest is growing there as well.” Claranor currently offers the bever- age industry a preform steriliser of up to 50mm diameter and with outputs up to 90,000 units per hour, as well as three capping sterilisers for 28-55mm and outputs of 16,000, 60,000 and 90,000bph. This range enables the company to cater both to existing and Preforms treatment at Nong Shim, Korea can now fulfil customer wishes in a purposeful way”, says Alain Berberian, the company’s Microbiology Manager. In the case of preform decontamina- tion, the results of a study conducted in 2016 show that pulsed light treat- ment of a preform heated up for the blowing process leads to improved destruction of microorganisms on the body of the preform, compared to treatment prior to heating. The company works closely together with the INRA Institute on its test- ing regime. The Institute undertakes research in the areas of agriculture and food safety, among others, and is located close by; this was the main reason for Claranor’s choice of location for its current headquarters. It maintains a laboratory on site at INRA, where equip- ment and effectiveness are continuously tested. Its tests show reduction of Asper- gillus brasiliensis as well as Bacillus subtilis, B. pumilus and B. atrophaeus by close to 5log. Modelling of cap optical reflector Modelling of preform optical reflector