Sidel installs aseptic PET bottling line for Indian dairy drink brand

Sidel has provided Britannia, an Indian F&B company, with its first aseptic PET bottles for its Winkin’ Cow dairy drink portfolio. The complete aseptic PET packaging solutions were delivered at Britannia’s greenfield dairy factory in Ranjangaon, India. 

“Sidel offered Britannia end-to-end support, enabling them to unlock the full potential of their dairy beverage,” says Harbinder Kathuria, vice president of sales for South Asia at Sidel.

“From bottle and label design to product-packaging validation, the line has empowered Britannia to expand its dairy beverage portfolio and offer safe, high-quality products with enhanced packaging flexibility to Indian consumers since 2023.”

Abhishek Sinha, chief sales transformation officer at Britannia, adds: “The support from Sidel wasn’t limited to the line equipment, it went much further.”

“Sidel offered a comprehensive range of services, including new packaging concept design, packaging validation, label recommendations, custom filling tests, and shelf-life studies. They provided everything we needed to enter the aseptic PET segment and bring our new product to market with maximum confidence.”

Aseptic bottling in action

The new line includes an integrated Aseptic Combi Predis, running at 24,000 bph. The solution integrates preform sterilization, blow molding, filling, and capping to ensure product integrity and a longer shelf life for sensitive products. 

Sidel describes its Aseptic Combi Predis as a simple and fast aseptic solution featuring Predis dry preform decontamination. 

Predis technology employs the injection of Hydrogen peroxide (H202) into the preform just before it enters the oven. The process results in activation of the H2O2 by the time it reaches the preform heating stage, ensuring a high level of decontamination while minimizing the sterile zone and controlling risks of contamination.

According to Sidel, the system continuously monitors the critical parameters to ensure production sterility and food safety, regardless of liquid type or beverage characteristics. 

The use of dry preform decontamination means that no water and almost no chemicals are used in the process, “significantly” reducing water and chemical consumption, allowing Britannia to reach total food safety using fewer resources and with a lower impact on the environment.

The company adds that the Aseptic Combi Predis is easy to use, as the operators can manage the sterilization process without extensive training or lengthy downtimes. 

The aseptic solution is also said to be flexible, allowing Britannia to switch between three different formats for dairy drinks from 180 mL to 1 L.