PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2017

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 04/17 www.petpla.net 28 of ensuring product integrity without the need for preservative additives, which would contradict lifestyle state- ments that are important to various market segments. While UHT milk has traditionally been sold in in tetra pack in India, PET has been introduced by the dairy company Amul, which is managed by GCMMF. Big players, like Amul, have gone for high capex (capital invest- ment) aseptic packaging, because of their need for high capacity filling and automation. But medium level players can also now consider PET opportuni- ties, as “low to medium capex” aseptic lines have now become available. The low capacity aseptic lines are now available with capacities as little as 2,000bph. UHT treated milk is traditionally filled in sterilised bottles and one of the trends is now use of preform decontamination and sterilisation as an alternative to bottle decon- tamination. The enclosed stretch- blow-mould-fill systems ensure that contamination is avoided and steril- ity maintained until the container is capped. The product is cooled down to room temperature immediately prior to bottling, which guarantees mini- mal vitamin degradation and flavour variation. It also helps to maintain organoleptic qualities, which are believed to be superior in cold-filled dairy products. Flavoured milk and ESL (extended shelf life) products, aseptically packaged in PET bottles, can also be transported and stored at room temperature. As detailed above, cold aseptic filling maintains product integrity without the need for the addition of preservatives. Reli- ance Industries Limited - PET Division has developed Relpet OP5821 resin (Opaque White) for UHT milk which is packaged in an aseptic filling line by Amul in India. Buttermilk and lassi milk vari- ants are now being filled in PET packs ranging from 200ml to 1l. Indian Ghee can be found in PET jars across India, being used widely by companies such as Gowardhan Dairy, one of the major producers in the western region among others. PET CANS are also available in the market, suitable for ghee and other VADP’s. Producers have found that PET packaging readily lends itself to security measures, which helps in the fight against counterfeiting. In addition, thermoformed APET trays, glasses, cups and lids are slowly gaining acceptance in Indian Dairy sector due to enhanced clarity, improved physicals and also lowest embrittlement temperature. There are a number of reasons why dairy majors are today evaluating PET aseptic packaging for flavoured milk. They include:  product quality, because of short time heat treatment for UHT milk  consistently high safety perfor- mance  single use, eliminating cleaning and contamination risks  light weight, easy to transport over long distance, lower transportation cost  more options for bottle shapes and capacities; attractive design/aes- thetics  productivity – high speed aseptic lines  high oxygen barrier  bottle clarity  easy to handle, re-sealable and shock resistant  easy to recycle Relpet, the PET division of Reli- ance, has been working with the Chemours Ti-Pure protect system for the dairy PET bottle range. The system is designed on the principle that ‘changes in riboflavin levels deter- mine the Light Protection Factor (LPF) for the milk packaging’. The ‘Ti-Pure Protect’ solutions help in the design of PET milk packages with enhanced light protection. Indian PET market The PET packaging market in India has been growing in recent years and continues to expand into new application areas. In 2007/2008, PET consumption for non-alcoholic beverages, including dairies, was at 76kta, it now stands at 510kta (16- 17) – a growth of 500 % plus in nine years. This growth has been based particularly on expanding application areas of PET in the packaging of bev- erages, milk variants, edible oil, min- eral water and bulk water. Reliance has been supporting brand-owners in packaging solutions including their niche resins for dairy and other end- use markets. Mr Sodhi, the Managing Director of GCMMF, has said that ‘value-added diary products will drive Indian dairy growth’. The industry estimate is that the ‘organised dairy’ segment will more than double in size by 2020. www.ril.com www.india.vdma.org The Pride of Cows brand from Parag Dairy received encouraging market response for its fresh milk bottled in PET (photo: Parag Dairy)