When it comes to juice filling, two main methods are adopted. One is the hot filling method, and the other method is the aseptic cold filling one. People usually opt for hot filling, and well, we do have an explanation to why this happens in the first place. But before that, let' s tell you briefly about hot filling and aseptic cold filling.
Hot filling is the process in which juice is filled inside the product when it' s hot just right after the sterilization. The inside of the container is sterilised with the heat of the product itself. On the other hand, when it comes to the aseptic cold filling, the beverage is filled inside the container in aseptic conditions. All the equipment parts in this method are sterilised first so that they don' t cause any microbial contamination in the beverages. The taste and the colour of the drink in this method is maintained for a long time, and there' s no need to add preservatives into the beverage too.
In hot filling, the temperature of the product centre is kept somewhat around 88 degrees, and the bottle cap is sterilised right before the time when the beverage is filled inside the PET bottles. After the product is sterilized completely, it then passes by a cooling machine that helps in bringing down the temperature of the bottle to normal.
In case of aseptic cold filling the product, the bottle and the cap, all of these things are sterilised separately under completely aseptic conditions. After that the product, along with the bottle, everything is completely sealed, and then it leaves the sterile environment.
The different heating times of the product are the two major things that separate and distinguish hot filling from aseptic cold filling.
In hot filling, the product is first heated, and it goes through an instantaneous sterilisation process and then it' s cooled down to somewhat around 90 degrees.
In case of aseptic cold filling, the product first adopts the high-temperature UHT instant sterilisation and then all of a sudden it' s cooled down and brought to its original temperature.
These are some of the basic differences in hot filling and cold aseptic filling. Now, if you want to start a juice filling business of your own, then you need to buy the right juice filling machine for that, and as far as the method is concerned, well, we' d suggest you go for the hot filling because it' s more reasonable and easy. On the other hand, you can easily buy a hot filling machine from any place near. To get some more insight, you can check the juice filling machine price on the internet to make a final decision whether this is something you want to do or not.
If the hot filling isn' t your cup of tea, then buy an aseptic filling machine and then start working on your juice filling business right away.