With the development of the economy and the improvement of people's living standards, the health requirements for various beverages (water, juice, tea, beer, dairy, etc.) are getting higher and higher, so clean and ultra-clean filling are applied in the beverage project equipment engineering. Technical methods are becoming more common. In order to achieve clean and economic production, we will meet the growing demand for health. The delivery of equipment and processes with the best performance and price to customers and the production of satisfactory products have become a common concern of beverage packaging factories and beverage equipment factories. For beverage factories, the economic application of equipment, especially filling and ancillary equipment, has always been the goal of the industry. The method of using technical economic value analysis and comparison and filling process hazard analysis control is a better way to apply clean and ultra-clean aseptic filling beverage Dingcheng equipment in beverage project engineering. 1.2.4 Formulation of water with pure water is the most used raw material in beverage production. The amount of ions and dissolved oxygen in the water and the pH value may affect the quality of the beverage. Pure water is the water with the least amount of ions, but it also needs to take certain measures to limit the dissolved oxygen below a certain level, because the dissolved oxygen in the water may oxidize the organic matter and vitamin C in the beverage during the processing, so that the color of the beverage is deepened and The method of changing the flavor and reducing the dissolved oxygen may be degassing by degassing pure water before filling, or by removing N2 and CO2. The preparation of pure water generally needs to be equipped with mechanical filters, precision filters, activated carbon filters, primary or secondary RO reverse osmosis devices, and the specific conditions can be adjusted according to the local water quality report. 3.4 Management of beverage operators In the whole environmental system of beverage production, the production operators are the biggest source of pollution. The air purification room is designed to purify the air while also reducing the pollution brought by the personnel. The stage cleaning room should be spray-sterilized; the 100-level purification room is designed to be small and practical, so that the operator can operate without destroying the aseptic environment; the inner surface of the purification device can be automatically cleaned and disinfected. The aseptic cold filling technology of beverages is very high, and it requires a high level of technical personnel and high-quality management personnel for unified management. Generally, the HACCP management system is applied. All management must form a document system, and there are special personnel responsible for implementation. Only by standardizing management can the safety of aseptic cold-filled beverages be truly guaranteed.
1. Process requirements for clean and ultra-clean beverage engineering equipment The most notable feature of the clean and ultra-clean aseptic filling process is that the selected equipment is filled with the original flavor of the beverage, which is in line with the health attributes of the beverage.
It is equipped with human operation, machine process value performance, clean and hygienic raw materials, HACCP management of clean and sterilizing personnel in space and ground environment, seamless sanitary connection of beverage supporting equipment, and operation performance of filling production line. Stable and reliable, easy to clean and clean, there are certain technical specifications and requirements for health and safety.
1.1 Clean and ultra-clean filling beverage production -1 art flow raw water → water treatment → deionization → boiling → cooling → beverage puree (60 ~ 80 ° C, 2 ~ 4min) - filtration (200 mesh filter cloth) → Reconciliation (add various additives and vitamin C) → Ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization (UHT 137 ° C, 5, 10, 15 s) → Cooling → Degassing → Aseptic filling (normal temperature, medium temperature) → Capping → Light detection → Nesting → Shrink film → Spray code → Empty product bottle → Soak or spray disinfection → Sterile water rinse or online blow bottle (reporting bottle) → Spray disinfection → Wash water bottle cap with sterile water → Soak or spray disinfection → Sterile water Flushing → aseptic drying
1.2 Clean and ultra-clean filling technology The clean-filling (CleanFilling) and ultra-clean filling (Ultra-CleanFilling) process technology is based on the principle of microbial barrier technology and HACCP quality control theory, using clean filling equipment In a clean filling environment, the sterilized materials are filled into the clean packaging materials without adding preservatives and sealing, thereby achieving the purpose of extending the product shelf life.
1.2.1 Design of clean and ultra-clean filling equipment The main equipment of aseptic filling is required to meet the hygienic design, mainly in the pipeline and valve technology, polishing of the surface of the material, surface shape design of important areas, and selection of corrosion resistance. Materials and many other advantages, along with a complete automatic cleaning (CIP) system, sterilization (SIP) system and equipment external foam cleaning system (COP). In addition, the aseptic cold filling machine is designed with its own unique aseptic filling valve and aseptic capping machine. All these measures ensure that the equipment will not be re-contaminated with materials. It is an optional cleaning and ultra-clean filling equipment. Important aspects to consider.
1.2.2 Disinfection of empty bottles and caps Disinfecting disposable PET empty bottles and caps are mainly disinfected by a five-in-one machine that is sterilized by a immersion sterilizer or sprayed. Low-speed clean and ultra-clean filling line bottles enter the disinfectant. There is unsterilized air in the fashion. The air is discharged by filling the bottle with disinfectant. The inner and outer surfaces of the bottle must also be completely immersed in the disinfectant and stay for a while. Time, to ensure that the bacteria are completely killed, and then pour the bottle of disinfectant, and then use a sterile water fork PET bottle for a short internal and external body treatment. The PET bottle of the high-speed filling line needs to be sprayed with disinfectant, and the sterile water is sprayed and dumped. It is then blown with sterile air (Class 100) at the same pressure as the bottle, especially if the cap must be blown dry to further ensure that the treatment is carried out in a sterile environment.
1.2.3 Comparison of PET bottles used in the two filling processes It can be seen from the filling process that the requirements for PET bottles in the two filling methods are different.
The hot filling process requires that the PET bottle can withstand high temperatures of 85 to 92 ° C without deformation, which requires an increase in the crystallinity of the PET material, while limiting the generation of induced stress during blowing. The PET bottle used has the following characteristics: the wall thickness of the bottle, the clear wall ribs to prevent heat shrinkage, and the need for a crystal bottle mouth, which greatly limits the freedom of design of the bottle type. Aseptic cold filling can use lightweight bottles (up to 70 ° C) and standard covers, which greatly reduces the cost of the bottle and lid, and is also free to choose the design bottle type.
2. Analysis of technical and economic value of clean and ultra-clean process equipment and current hot-filling process equipment
2.13 Comparison of process characteristics and equipment investment
2.1.1 Characteristics of filling process Compared with traditional hot filling, it can be divided into two types, one is high temperature 80 ° C or above hot filling, and the other is medium temperature filling and then heating the product to 65 ~ 75 ° C row Sterilization. These two methods eliminate the need to sterilize the product, bottle and lid separately, and only need to keep the product at a high temperature for a long enough time to sterilize the bottle and lid. Aseptic filling first requires the product, bottle and lid to be sterilized separately and then filled in a sterile environment until it is completely sealed before leaving the sterile environment. From the comparison of the two processes, the biggest difference is that the time when the beverage is heated is different. It is well known that the longer the heat treatment time, the greater the effect on the quality and mouthfeel of the beverage. Aseptic filling uses UHT ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization, the heat treatment time of the material is no longer than 30s, and the sterilization effect can be guaranteed under high temperature conditions. The sterilization method used in hot filling makes the material taste, color and heat sensitive nutrients (such as vitamins) in the high temperature state for a long time. In addition, from the perspective of the configuration of the production line, when the filling machine fails, some of the materials processed by the hot filling method will prolong the heating time, which will seriously affect the quality of the whole batch of products, while the aseptic cold filling does not. This phenomenon occurs, and the material has been cooled to room temperature after being instantaneously sterilized, and it is not affected by its quality when placed in a sterile tank.
2.1.2 Relatively clean and ultra-clean aseptic filling technology for equipment investment is more suitable for the production of milk, tea, juice and pure draft beer beverages in terms of process characteristics, and has the functions of maintaining color, fragrance and taste. The unparalleled advantages of hot filling processes. The devices configured are compared as shown in Table 1.
2.2 Comparison of Clean and Ultra-Clean Aseptic Cold Filling and Hot Filling The cost of aseptic cold filling and hot filling listed by Mr. Hans Xindel of Creuss Co., Ltd. is shown in Table 2. It can be seen from Table 2 that the initial investment in aseptic cold filling is relatively large, but because the raw material cost and operating cost of aseptic cold filling are relatively low, the investment of the higher part will be recovered quickly. As equipment ages, the low-cost advantages of clean and ultra-clean aseptic cold filling can be evident.
3, clean and ultra-clean juice beverage filling process HACCP method application case
3.1 A juice beverage filling flow chart (aseptic filling process) (see photo)
3.2 Sterile normal temperature filling hazard analysis worksheet (Table 3)
3.3 The maintenance of the aseptic space environment during filling generally adopts the isolation measures of filling and purifying. The main body filling machine is designed for D100 air purification. There is also a 10,000-level purification room (some aseptic filling equipment is not needed). The cleaning system in the purification room ensures the cleanliness of the air in the filling environment so that the materials will not be Secondary contamination by microorganisms suspended in the air.
4. Conclusions of clean, ultra-clean aseptic filling and hot filling technology In summary, the technology of clean and ultra-clean aseptically filled PET bottles is superior to the technology of hot-filled PET bottles currently used. Obviously, if the product is heated for a short time, it can maintain the nutrient composition and flavor of the product to the greatest extent, especially suitable for heat sensitive beverage products; can reduce the cost of packaging materials; the appearance of the bottle can be diversified design; reduce energy consumption and material consumption, and low production cost . Choose to meet the process requirements.