Page 66 - Ameft Journal 2021-III

PROCESSING & PACKAGING Sustainability with Serac’s ESL Combox The dairy packaging specialist com- bines PET bottle blowing and pulsed light decontamination in a single machine: the ESL Combox. This machine has already won over several local dairies by enabling them to em- phasize their commitment to sustain- ability while offering consumers a lon- ger shelf life. Cutting on chemicals for longer shelf life By combining the blowing of bottles in a controlled environment just be- fore filling and pulsed light treatment of necks and caps, it is possible to achieve a 3-log decontamination on containers. This level of decontamina- tion can be enough for several applica- tions to significantly extend the shelf life. For example, Serac’s ESL Combox is used for fresh white milk with a 30 days shelf life, or for drinking yogurts with a 60 days shelf life in Asia. Pulsed light is a fast and efficient decontamination method. It destroys the cell membrane of micro organisms and degrades their DNA in less than a milli-second. Using neither water nor chemicals, pulsed light allows dairies to guarantee the absence of treatment residues in the packaging and to bet- ter manage water resources, both in terms of consumption and effluents. A lighter carbon footprint Short supply chains are increasingly Preform treatment by pulsed light in ESL Combox T3 3 1w 21 2 m 2 0 0 2 appealing to consumers who are sen- sitive to the carbon footprint of the products they buy. And from this point of view, PET bottles have arguments to put forward, especially in comparison with glass. Their manufacturing requires much less energy and their lightness has a direct impact on the transportation part of GHG emissions. This impact is reinforced when bottles are blown just before filling, since the preforms are 5 times smaller. Moreover, with the development of the rPET value stream, these bottles can be recycled in a circular system. At this last stage, the PET bottle will still make the difference with glass in terms of energy consumed. Compact yet flexible machine The ESL Combox combines the blow- ing, filling and capping functions in a single unit with a footprint up to 25% smaller than that of a conventional fill- ing line. It is capable of blowing round, rect- angular, oval or complex shaped bot- tles, ranging from 250 ml to 2 liters. And its patented positive neck trans- fer system allows different shapes and sizes of bottles to be filled on the same machine, with very short changeover times. Designed for low to medium output, it is ideal for local production units. (Source: Serac) Cap treatment by pulsed light in ESL Combox 6 66 6 A A M ME E F FT With this new version of its Com- The ESL Combox combines the blowing, filling and capping functions in a single unit with a footprint up to 25% smaller than that of a conventional filling line. box, Serac provides a packaging solu- tion adapted to the changes in con- sumer behavior, more attracted by ethical and sustainable products. (Source: Serac) ww w w w . .a a m me eft ft. .c co o m