PET-Asept: bottling juice products without preservatives

Casbega, Spain’s second-biggest Coca-Cola licensee, located in Fuenlabrada (the Madrid region), uses PET-Asept technology for bottling innovative Minute Maid products with a fruit content.
The PET-Asept line enables products to be bottled in PET containers without any preservatives. The wet-sterilisation process using peracetic acid was the preferred option here. And the system also had to have been validated by The Coca-Cola Company. The line handles products from the Minute Maid range: the classical Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Peach&Grape, Multifruit, plus the summer-seasonal drinks Limon&Nada and Lime&Nada with a hint of Green Mint. Coca-Cola also introduced the new Minute Maid products Antiox, Sojaplus and Duofrutas. The PET-Asept BLOC with its compact cleanroom comprises the peracetic-acid injector (constructed in Cleanroom Class 1000/ISO 6), the Steriljet steriliser, plus the Variojet rinser and the Volumetic VODM-PET filler, which are constructed in Cleanroom Class 100/ISO 5. Casbega additionally had the entire BLOC encapsulated in a large cleanroom, incorporating an operator room further separated by airlocks. The 38-mmm wide-neck bottles are likewise disinfected using peracetic acid. Krones also supplied the chemical concept for the aseptics, the clean-steam generator, the nitrogen injection system and the isolator-ventilation technology, plus the AquaAsept L+D Sterile Water -UHT. In addition, the line has been fitted with an LDS line documentation system and a PCS Process Control System.
So far, the line is being run continuously 24 hours a day before a complete cleaning procedure becomes necessary – 72 hours of operation are being targeted. However, Casbega bottles substantial numbers of smaller batches. Given compatible products, the aseptic line can be switched over in two hours. If an intermediate cleaning procedure is required, it takes about five hours.