Aseptic filling system secures market share

The Darguner Brewery has opted for the PET-Asept L aseptic filling system from Krones. The multi-functional line handles not fewer than four different product categories like fruit juices and multi-vitamin juices, NFC juices, vegetable juices, smoothies and in future milk-based mixed beverages. Several container sizes and a total of up to 30 different stock-keeping units pose stringent requirements for the line.
Most bottlers try to avoid frequent change-overs during aseptic filling, since it’s difficult to maintain the requisite sterility. But Darguner’s Plant Director Wolfgang Voss emphasises: “In all the time it’s been running so far, the PET-Asept line despite the numerous change-overs, has not become unsterile even one single time. With this line, we can bottle a range of products that’s unrivalled anywhere in Europe.”

Krones supplied the aseptic filling system, the packaging technology, the process section, plus the line documentation system as a turnkey job.
The PET-Asept line is designed for wet sterilisation using peracetic acid with an injector, rinser and filler in a small-size cleanroom. For sterilising the closures, three capsule baths for size-28 and 38 flatcaps, plus size-28 sportcaps, are provided above the filler. “At change-overs, aseptic processes inevitably entail a lot of cleaning work”, comments Wolfgang Voss. “But the Europe of the near future will be calling for preservatives to be dispensed with.”
In addition to the aseptic filling, Krones was also responsible for the entire process technology, which is accommodated in a separate process room together with the PET-Asept line. The interface here is the Contiflow mixer, which blends beverages in a mixing ratio of between one to four and one to ten, either with drinking water or in the case of fruit juices with fully demineralised water.