March 2008
PETplanet

The aseptic filling line at Coca-Cola in Spain is used to fill sensitive beverages such as the Aquarius sports drink and Nestea iced tea in various flavours. The line was supplied by Procomac Spa of Italy.

The aseptic line at Norbega operates at a rate in excess of 27,000 bottles an hour helping Coca-Cola to service what is anticipated to be a 25% growth in this market year on year. Aseptic filling was preferred to the traditional hot fill technology, which has served the industry well for many years but suffers from the disadvantage that the high temperatures can affect the taste of the product. Hot fill also requires the use of heavier PET bottles that are naturally more expensive. In the past some drinks were impossible to manufacture in this way because the pasteurisation process would have affected the quality of the product to an unacceptable degree.

Problem-free validation
The aims of the project for the new line were to provide an aseptic production facility that would meet Coca-Cola’s stringent hygiene standards and also to reduce the weight of the bottle. Procomac operated as the main contractor to provide the entire line, including blow-moulding for the bottles, air conveyors, rinsers, filters, capping machinery, inspection systems, and the complete packing process including palletising, labelling and shrink wrapping. The time from the start of the initial validation tests to the first real production run of Nestea, including approval by Coca-Cola Madrid, was just over 3 months.
«We had experienced mixed results from microbiological validations for aseptic lines in the past so were expecting the first results from the microbiological tests with some concern», said Carlos Serrano, manager for aseptic technology at Norbega. However his concerns turned out to be unnecessary. «When we started to get results from the tests they showed no plate contamination and no growth of microorganisms. This gave us confidence in the system», he continued. «We haven’t had any problem with the system from a microbiological point of view ever since».
Monica Melloni, the line validation specialist for the project, was delighted with the validation process, especially as Coca-Cola has some of the most exacting standards in the business. «It was a very smooth process and we didn’t need to repeat any of the steps. Our previous experience with Nestea was a great help».

New bottle shape
The project has allowed Coca-Cola to produce a new bottle shape with all the traditional marketing appeal of the famous “contour” bottle. The bottle weight has been reduced by 35.5% for the Aquarius product and by 44% for the 1 litre size Nestlea. The company also has the opportunity of offering a V+T Green Tea variety that was impossible to produce using hot fill technology.
The success story for Procomac and for Coca-Cola is good news for the consumer too, with new products coming on stream and a more environmentally friendly production.