Over the last 10 to 15 years, more low- and high-acid products have been processed in ways designed to kill bacteria and extend the life of foods and liquids. Retort-style thermal processing, chilling and refrigeration steps and the use of preservatives remain the most common routes to produce shelf-stable foods and beverages in the US. But emerging trends, economic and performance benefits, and new equipment developments in aseptic technology are making this sterilization approach worth another look.
The latest advancements are designed to handle sensitive, low-acid products. They include a new fill/seal unit that provides low-volume production with wide package configuration choices; an aseptic bag-in-box system that delivers three times the production speed with package-style flexibility and machine compactness; and an aseptic blower for PET that sterilizes preforms and is coupled to an aseptic filler.