PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2018

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 03/18 www.petpla.net 26 A filling line to match new market trends Hello versatility, goodbye preservatives! New market trends and the long shadow of possible new European legislation limiting use of artificial preservatives in food and drinks, are leading Sipa to develop new systems in bottle filling lines to enhance flexibility as well as sanitation. Thus it is now possible to process carbonated soft drinks (CSD) without any form of artificial preservatives. With next- generation lines for liquid preparation and filling, it is also possible to fill CSDs at ambient temperature (20 °C); given that this is higher than standard filling temperatures, energy savings can be appreciable. Meanwhile, to provide bottling companies with improved flexibility, it is now possible for a single Sipa bot- tling line to be configured for a wide range of products, whether they be CSDs or hot-fill products, with or with- out pulp. Goodbye preservatives The idea of being able to do away with chemical preservatives for drinks is one that has always generated a lot of interest in the food and beverage industry, as well as among consum- ers. On the one hand, there is the cost issue, and on the other there is the desire for more “natural” food prod- ucts. Sipa has been studying various aspects of its filling line equipment that will facilitate the elimination of such preservatives. On its Sincro sys- tems, for example, various options are now available to maintain the cleanli- ness of PET preforms between the injection moulding machine and the stretch-blow moulding unit:  the collection hopper, lift and slide can all be enclosed and subject to over-pressure to keep out dust;  preforms can be treated to elimi- nate any possible contamination;  preforms can be blown with ionised air and subject to ventilation to remove possible dust;  special ventilation filters can be installed in the reheat oven area. Various enhancements can also be made to ensure that the filling system is clean and easily sanitised, with advanced cleaning systems for both the production circuit (Clean- In-Place, CIP) and the total filling environment (Clean-Out-of-Place, COP). Automatic false bottle loading, together with the use of microbiologi- cal isolation around the immediate filling area, produce a reduction in the space that needs to be kept under control, making it possible to use sani- tising systems that are cost effective, says Sipa. Isolation can also include the transfer module between the blower and the filler. With a pressurisation system with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filters, a separation between the air in the “dry” zone (where the blow moulding unit is located) and the “wet” zone (the filler) can be guaranteed. Furthermore, contamination of closures can be minimised with the use of a peroxide washing tunnel. Product treatment As for preparation of the filling product itself, Sipa has developed a flexible integrated product prepara- tion system made up of the following components:  Xblend multicomponent de-aerating and mixing unit;  Xtherm pasteuriser, available in two different versions, flat and tubular, for products with or without pulp or particles;  Degasser with aroma recovery;  Carbo-SD carbonation unit. Flexible filling valves Sipa’s multi-product filling valve concept finds perfect form in the Flex- tronic C multi-product volumetric filling Filling Special