New bottling plant extends aseptic capabilities, claims Flavours Inc

A new aseptic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottling plant is one of the few co-packing facilities to offer three methods of aseptic processing, says a US based manufacturer.

Flavours Inc said its new 60,000 sq ft facility, located in southern California, will produce 200 million units annually using tubular, steam injection, and plate and frame aseptic processing.

The California headquartered company, which develops flavour, aseptic, and soft chew technologies for functional foods and nutraceutical products, said the target customer base for the new plant's output is health and wellness beverage companies.

Tara Foster, director of sales at the company, told FoodProductionDaily.com that as a result of increased demand for aseptic packaging in plastic bottles the company required a new plant to double its capacity while also leaving room for expansion:

“The plant is kitted out with new equipment and also includes existing lines from our previous plant in Rancho Santa Margarita.”

She said the facility is customer driven due to the fact that it can provide flexibility in terms of processing as well as downstream packaging and customization: “Our R&D pilot capabilities and flavour development service is a key customer benefit and is unique in the beverage co-packing industry.”

The plant has bottling capabilities for both large scale commercial quantities or for clinical trials and market testing purposes: “We can do anything from 15 gallon pilot trials to 350 gallon plant trials to 40,000 plus gallon runs,” continued Foster.

She explained that the fundamental objective of the new aseptic bottling facility is to utilize key capabilities, such as aseptic flavour and ingredient dosing, high pressure homogenization, and tea brewing vacuum extraction to provide the best system for each type of beverage.

“Should a customer have a supplement that requires high pressure homogenization for stability, we would use that capability or should a customer have a product that has a sensitive ingredient to heat, then we would use our aseptic dosing technology.

“Our unique capabilities lend our plant to be useful to a broad range of beverages and supplements,” claims Foster.