EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 06/25 www.petpla.net 16 New Beverage Technology Centre Hochschule Geisenheim University Sustainability is the optimal way to preserve beverages by Alexander Büchler Editour We met: Dipl. Ing. Michael Ludwig, Head of Getränke Technologie Zentrum (GTZ) and Prof. Dr Ralf Schweiggert, Head of Institute of the Department of Beverage Research Professorship for Analysis & Technology of plant-based Foods – Focus on Beverages. Hochschule Geisenheim University // March 5, 2025 The filler is a jack-of-all-trades, it can fill almost every conceivable type of beverage, including beer, RTDs, soft drinks (still & carbonated), wine & sparkling wine, water (still & carbonated) and juices (including pulps) in cans, glass or PET. The background to the investment is to find out under practical conditions how a particular beverage can best be preserved and bottled. This includes the optimal preparation of the filling products, the selection of suitable packaging and, if necessary, the selection of a post-treatment of the filled packaging. Product-specific filling systems were previously used, but this new filler now allows for greater variance and, above all, better comparability. This makes it possible to compare the foaming behaviour during filling, test the highly sensitive products for vitamin stability, identify aromatic deviations and find the best shelf life method for the product, such as ultraclean filling, pasteurisation or the addition of velcorin, to name just a few aspects. With all the know-how about filling products and packaging types, the topic of rPET is naturally also on the table. Prof Schweiggert once tried to find out the actual proportion of rPET in the finished bottle. However, the data did not provide a clear picture. In an investigation of researchers of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Lemgo a few years ago, they were able to show that the bottle contained rPET, but the determination of the exact proportion remained intricate. When travelling round the country looking into sustainability, you always come across new aspects. Our visit to the Getränkte Technologie Zentrum (GTZ) at Hochschule Geisenheim University in Germany was no exception. I am welcomed by Prof. Dr Ralf Schweiggert and the head of department, Dipl.-Ing. Michael Ludwig. The occasion is the new GTZ building of over 4,000m2. It is here that the new Vipoll Small-in-One filler is used. Sponsors to date Students using the new automatic beverage filling facilities. (Photos: Hochschule Geisenheim / Torsten Silz) Students talking to Michael Ludwig in the new Beverage Technology Center.
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