Aseptic Packaging
System
The aseptic packaging is very well
accepted in food service applications
worldwide as a safe and high-quality
packaging option.
Aseptic packaging can be de
fined as the filling of a com
mercially sterile product into
a sterile container under aseptic conditions
and hermetically sealing the
containers so that reinfection is prevented.
This results in a product,
which is shelf-stable at ambient conditions.
The term “aseptic” is derived
from the Greek word “septicos” which
means the absence of putrefactive
micro-organisms.
In practice, generally there are two
specific fields of application of aseptic
packaging technology:
l Packaging of pre-sterilised and
sterile products. Examples are milk
and dairy products, puddings, desserts, fruit and vegetable
juices, soups, sauces, and products
with particulates.
l Packaging of non-sterile product
to avoid infection by micro-organisms.
Examples of this application
include fermented dairy products
like yoghurt.
Aseptic packaging technology is
fundamentally different from that of
conventional food processing by canning.
In canning, the process begins
with treating the food prior to filling.
Initial operations inactivate enzymes
so that these will not degrade the product
during processing. The package
is cleaned, and the product is introduced
into the package, usually hot.
Generally, air that can cause oxidative
damage is removed from the interior.
The package is hermetically sealed
and then subjected to heating. The
package must be able to withstand
heat up to about 100°C for high acid
products and up to 127°C for low acid
products, which must receive added
heat to destroy heat-resistant microbial
spores. Packages containing lowacid
(above pH 4.5) food must withstand
pressure as well.
Although conventional canning
renders food products commercially
sterile, the nutritional contents and the
organoleptic properties of the food
generally suffer in the processing.
Moreover, tinplate containers are
heavy in weight, prone to rusting and
are of high cost.
Figure 1 is a simple illustration
comparing the basic difference between
conventional canning and aseptic
packaging processes for the production
of shelf-stable food
products.
....contd.
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