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Food & Beverage
15 companies on the waiting list , looking to either develop new food and drink products or move from conventional heat treatment to aseptic packing .”
The CTNC offers a range of facilities including quality and material testing
packing system , is in use within the CTNC technological area , for researchers and HRS customers alike to use .
Unique testing capabilities In practice , this means that clients can access the facilities at the CTNC to test how their products will perform with different heat exchangers ( as well as microwave heating ), so that they and HRS engineering staff can choose the best heat exchanger option for their requirements . Presentación García Gomez , Head of the Technological Area at the CTNC , explains : “ This region of Spain is home to a high volume of fruit producers , as well as primary and secondary processors , so there is significant demand from companies wanting to trial new products or processes on the new aseptic pilot plant from HRS . There is no other pilot plant like this in Spain , and we currently have around
The rise of aseptic packaging Traditionally , hot filling of food and drink products sterilises the container as the product ( which is still hot from cooking or sterilising ) is filled . However , the temperatures required often have unwanted effects on the quality of the product , and the heat imposes restrictions on the type of container which can be used : for example , hot filling of lightweight plastic drinks bottles can lead to distortion of the plastic . Because of this , cold aseptic filling has become a common technique with drinks manufacturers for products including UHT milk , fruit juices , and sports and energy drinks . Its flexibility means that it is suitable for a wide range of products from fresh fruit dices and purees to marinades and dairy products . The HRS Asepticblock pilot plant installed at the CTNC is a special trial version of the standard HRS Asepticblock Series of skid-mounted self-contained pasteuriser / steriliser systems with integrated aseptic filler . The unit at the CTNC features a balance tank and a deaerator ( to prevent oxidisation ), and a product pump . The product goes through a pre-heating stage , followed by a choice of heat treatments ( heating or cooling ) which are chosen via a control panel . The available options include heat exchangers ( corrugated tubular , MI multitube and DTA double tube along with the HRS R Series scraped surface ) and a microwave heating unit . Because of the benefits of HRS clients being able to use the technology , HRS Heat Exchangers supplied the unit at cost to the CTNC .
At the forefront of latest food trends “ Our customers can use the pilot plant when developing new projects , for proof of concept . They can then
The trail Asepticblock used at the CTNC is based on the standard HRS Asepticblock Series
24 Heat Exchanger World September 2023 www . heat-exchanger-world . com