PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2019

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 03/19 www.petpla.net 31 chose GEA to supply the aseptic fill- ing technology with all its upstream equipment such as homogeniser, deaerator, UHT, aseptic tanks and CIP stations. “Thanks to the posi- tive experience with the aseptic filling technology we were confident that GEA provided the best overall turnkey solution for us from top to bottom. We also included our milking parlour at the farm in the scope of supply.” To help manage the filling pro- cess, ABC Group commissioned the service of Uniplastido Interbuana (Uniplast). Uniplast was a pioneer of aseptic filling in Indonesia and has many years of experience working with the technology. “We chose a synchro aseptic system featuring a GEA EcoSpin2 sterilising technology fitted with a Fillstar FX-C filler,” said Edwin Gunadi, CEO of Uniplast. Developing the light barrier Uniplast then worked with its sup- pliers to develop a new light barrier for the PET bottles that would protect the fresh product adequately. The process took many months, but the outcome has provided a mono-layer light barrier that has the same func- tionality as common carton packag- ing. “It will provide protection for up to nine months, preserving the colour, taste and nutritional characteristics of the product without the need of a cold chain,” said Gunadi. The PET bottle is lighter and easier to handle than alternatives and provides the opportunity to design bottles in a variety of shapes in line with ABC Group’s marketing requirements. Integrated PAA sterilising system A key feature of the GEA EcoSpin2 is its robust and reliable bottle and cap sterilisation with a low chemical residual. The system uses only 1 PAA (Peracetic acid) sterilis- ing solution to treat the bottle both inside and out simultaneously as well as the cap, without the need for wet- ting agents. The PAA solution is fully recovered and reused in a controlled loop. The PAA temperature does not exceed 65 °C so there is no risk of PET shrinkage when using light- weight containers. Caps are sterilised through immersion in a PAA solution to reduce and potential mechanical stress and achieve a proper bottle seal. The system at ABC Group fills up to 40,000 0.5 litre bottles/hour, however, GEA EcoSpin has a maxi- mum capability of 72,000 bph. The Fillstar FX-C from GEA is a proven, high-speed, volumetric filler specially designed for filling still products, such as milk, with and without pulps, fibres and pieces with dimensions up to 6x6x6mm. (Image: GEA) ABC chose a synchro aseptic system featuring a GEA EcoSpin2 sterilising technol- ogy fitted with a Fillstar FX-C filler. A key feature of the GEA EcoSpin2 is its robust and reliable bottle and cap sterilisation with the lowest chemical residual. (Image: GEA) Preventing foaming The Fillstar FX-C from GEA is a proven, high-speed, volumetric filler specially designed for filling still products, such as milk, with and without pulps, fibres and pieces with dimensions up to 6x6x6 mm. This GEA aseptic system can extend fill- ing to dose accurately particles with dimensions of up to 10x10x10 mm. The filler has an aseptic prod- uct tank, located on the top of the carrousel, that feeds the product through a linear path to reduce wast- age during product changeover. Its dual-speed design – with a slow speed mode used at beginning and end of filling cycle – prevents foam- ing even when filling critical prod- ucts. There is no contact between the filling nozzle and the bottle neck to avoid any cross contamination. www.gea.com