It has been one year since Packaging Strategies'
Global Pouch Forum , which named the themes of sustainability, packaging differentiation, and product quality as key drivers for the growing interest in flexible packaging. Since that time,
market research has predicted continued growth for the segment, with rising materials costs making light weight flexible packaging even more attractive. The priorities of the new
Washington administration, coupled with the growing concern by brand owners over their sustainability profiles, has pushed the market to further use packaging as a differentiator - to find new ways to compete for shelf appeal by adopting eye catching designs that scream "GREEN."
This year AEB will be speaking at the
Global Pouch Forum 2009 on the application of low energy electron beams for next generation shelf stable packaging.
As background, the traditional approaches for preserving packaged food and beverages on the shelf include:
- Using high levels of preservatives in the product
- Cooking (or retorting) the food in an already sealed package, such as a can, jar, or bottle
- Hot filling, where the product is heated to a high temperature for both the pasteurization of the food product as well as the sterilization of the inside of the food product container
- Refrigeration
All of these approaches have drawbacks, including energy consumption, packaging material constraints or package-weight constraints, and overall reduction in product quality due to heating (except for in the case of conventional refrigeration).
The growth of aseptic packaging has led to new possibilities for shelf stable packaging for a range of rigid and semi rigid packaging materials, including PET Bottles, FFS Cups, Cartonboard Packs and Gabletops. Aseptic or ESL packaging approaches are based on the concept of pre-sterilizing the packaging material, filling the pasteurized product, and sealing the package inside of a sterile chamber. This approach enables a much longer shelf life and allows for the product to be processed at lower speeds and with fewer preservatives - improving the quality and "freshness" of the end product. Moreover, by removing the need for refrigeration, substantial energy savings are realized and new markets are opened up in areas with no cold-chain distribution system. In some cases aseptically packaged products are also refrigerated, enabling a much longer shelf life which, in turn, reduces product spoilage waste.
The market is now seeing a convergence - where consumer packaged goods suppliers are combining the benefits of aseptic packaging with the benefits of flexible packaging. New aseptic package concepts are emerging in the beverage pouch, bag-in-box, and stick packaging spaces. Electron beams are playing a role in enabling this trend by providing a cost effective, no heat, chemical free approach to sterilization that can be directly integrated into traditional filling and packaging equipment. In many cases traditional in-line sterilization technologies, such as steam heating and hydrogen peroxide, are impossible to integrate for pre-formed pouch or bag concepts. With our growing list of system partners, AEB electron beam emitter technology is enabling the next generation in shelf stable packaging technology.