Tetra Pak® Aseptic Dosing unit F is a unique and innovative new technique where functional ingredients are injected with high precision into the base product after the final heat treatment, just before filling.
The flexible system ensures the stability and survival of heat sensitive functional ingredients and avoids the need to overdose these expensive ingredients.
The Tetra Pak Aseptic Dosing unit F is fully automated and installed between processing and the filling machines. It can serve one or several filling machines.
Quick facts
Unit for automatic aseptic in-line dosing of ingredients
Capacity
Dosing range 0.5 – 30 l/h; product range 1 000 – 20 000 l/h
Applications
Enzymes e.g. lactase, vitamins, flavours, colours, Omega 3 and probiotics
High precision dosing
To ensure exactly the right amount of added ingredients are injected into the base product, a weighing system monitors the added ingredients and flow transmitters monitor the amount of base product as they enter the filling machine. Accuracy is further enhanced by use of hoses of different diameters adapted to specific recipes.
‘Just in time’ production
According to the 'Just in time' production method, the dosing unit is positioned just before the filling machine. Ingredients are dosed at the last minute before packaging. It is extremely quick and simple to switch from one added ingredient to another. All the operator has to do is change the ingredient bag in the dosing unit (and the packaging material in the filling machine).
Ingredient injection
Since the dosed ingredients do not come into contact with any of the upstream processing equipment there is no need for intermediate cleaning in place between production runs with different products. Energy and detergent consumption is therefore also reduced.
Closed ingredients system
The ingredients to be dosed are packed separately in advance, and quality checked before being sent to your production plant in ready-to-use 5 or 10 litre aseptic bags. When dosing, the closed ingredient package is connected to the product line via an aseptic transfer hose.
Recipe management system
Operators scan the barcode on the ingredients and the hose kit, and the recipe management system confirms that they are the right ones to use for a given product. All the data is stored so that it can be analysed in case of an issue.
Product quality control
In the production of UHT lactose reduced milk, aseptic dosing means less lactase is added to the product, and this in turn means less sugar content in the milk. Less sugar content reduces the browning of the milk(caused by the Maillard reaction) and it typically doubles product shelf life from 3 to 6 months.