The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awarded GEA a letter of no objection for its ABF 1.2 technology. This integrated blowing, filling and capping solution features a fully aseptic rotary blowing machine.
FDA testing is considered one of the most comprehensive validation protocols available in the aseptic beverage market. Stringent requirements ensure enhanced product safety. Approval is highly valued – even outside the US.
The clearance confirms the technology ensures maximum sterilisation efficiency and reliability during every step of sensitive beverage bottling. GEA successfully passed validation tests – performed on an ABF 1.2 system installed in the US.
Alessandro Bellò, head of blowing, filling and packaging applications at GEA notes, ‘For technology developers, food safety is the highest priority. The system erases risk of recontamination of drinks during filling through fully automated operations. We achieve a full decontamination process control unique in the market.’
Complete control of sterilisation performance
GEA’s solution is based on an integrated blowing, filling and capping process that runs within a 100 per cent aseptic environment. Thanks to a microbiological isolator, the unit can aseptically blow preforms previously treated with hydrogen peroxide vapour. The result is a single zone sterilisation process that requires no water and significantly fewer chemicals.
‘It maintains complete sterility during operations,’ GEA product manager Massimo Nascimbeni points out. ‘We achieve this by placing the aseptic blowing wheel in the same sterile zone where filling and capping processes are performed. Newly blown sterile bottles are transferred to filling and capping carousels without leaving the sterile zone. This is one of the reasons we don’t need any unnecessary H2O2 carry-over in the following modules.’
Beverage producers can completely monitor and control preform sterilisation processes with GEA’s unique Smart Sensor, which checks the spraying performance of each sterilisation nozzle just before preforms are treated. The environmental sterilisation process is completely automated requiring no manual intervention from operators – greatly decreasing risk of system recontamination.
Future-proofing customers via aseptic technology
GEA provides both FDA approved PAA- and H2O2-based sterilisation technologies. The company’s first FDA certification was awarded more than ten years ago for its PAA-based bottle sterilisation platform.
‘Aseptic technology is undoubtedly the safest and most efficient production system for bottling sensitive beverages without preservatives. Higher production volumes result in higher desired production quality and the need for flexibility in bottle design. Advantages of aseptic systems become clearer when compared to other solutions. With our ABF 1.2 FDA certification we can finally service customers with VHP based sterilisation platforms in the US,’ Bellò concludes.
