Development of modified aseptic pouch form fill seal machine

Abstract

Aseptic packaging consists of filling sterile products into a sterilized packaging material at room temperature followed by sealing the packaging material in a sterile environment. A small scale modified aseptic pouch form fill seal machine for UHT milk with all necessary instrumentation was developed and evaluated for performance. The sterile air temperature used was 105 °C. The designed length, width and height of the hydrogen peroxide bath were found to be 0.38 m, 0.28 m, and 0.34 m respectively. The length of folding section taken was 0.51 m and that of width was 0.15 m which has been bent from both sides. The developed machine is hand and pedal operated and the capacity of machine was 120 l/h. The UHT milk was packed in polypropylene. The aseptically packed UHT milk was tested for microbiological effectiveness and the milk was found to be microbiologically safe up to two weeks. From the organoleptic point of view, the aseptically packed milk was acceptable up to 15 days, as it was free from gelation and drastic color change.