Page 46 - FoodFocusThailand No.204 March 2023

SMART PRODUCTION

Aseptic Bag-in-Box Packaging for

Beverage and Liquid Food Industries

An aseptic system is one of the key technologies for the food and beverage industry, offering freshness
and rich nutritional value because this process requires a high temperature with a short time to sterilize
liquid food. The sterilized product was filled and sealed into sterile containers under aseptic conditions to
maintain quality and prolong the product’s shelf life. Moreover, it also reduces the operation cost in cold
chain logistics as well as storage management.

According to the report of Future Market Insights, strength over transportation. Currently, bag-in-box can be used for a
the global bag-in-box filler, one of the aseptic systems, variety of products such as low-acid and high-acid foods, whether
is expected to grow from 154.6 million US in 2022 to beverages, juices, milk, tea, coffee, and food categories including ice
261.6 million US by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.4% cream mixture, sauces, soups, fruits, and vegetable puree. The
throughout the forecast period. The growing popularity components of the bag-in-box consist of three main parts as follows:
of bag-in-box packaging and rising demand from
industries like food, beverages, and chemical are Bag The bag is soft and foldable packaging which usually contains
some of the key factors propelling sales of bag-in-box 1 multi-layered plastic material. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) is the
fillers in the market. This is because bag-in-box most common polymer used in packaging because it has outstanding
packages can help transport and distribute liquid properties such as flexibility, lightweight, and resistance to temperature
products efficiently without contamination. and environment. In addition, multi-layer plastics components with
Bag in box is a popular aseptic packing system complex structures, such as ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and
for beverages and liquid food which is a proper polyethylene (PE), are co-extruded with polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC)
replacement for plastic gallon and metal cans for better resistance to oxygen permeation.
packaging. Because this package is lightweight, so
increases the dispensing of a liquid sample efficiently,
safely, and easier, as well as prolongs the shelf life
after opening. Normally, the bag used in this
packaging type is a flexible pouch that directly
contacts the food product. It contains several layers
of a specific function film against product damage.
Moreover, the cap sealing like plastic or metal has
been designed to prevent penetration by air, including
a cap with sealing materials inside and a cap tightly
sealed by mechanical force. The flexible pouch was
placed in a rigid box to maintain its shape and increase

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