HRS has developed a new concept that the firm claims will boost innovation by allowing manufacturers to produce new trial products with the minimum amount of product in a short time.
The HRS Asepticblock Mini Series has been described as reducing unnecessary expense or waste that can accompany full-scale trials, as well as alleviating the need to interfere with the routine production of regular products. HRS said it allows the reproduction of a full-scale final pack, but from as little as 20-50 kg of product.
Matt Hale, international sales and marketing director explained, “The Aseptic Mini Block Series was born from the need of many of our small- and medium-sized customers to produce relatively small quantities of aseptic products, but who are prevented from doing so by high up-front capital costs and low return on investment.”
“Traditional aseptic processing lines consist of two sections; one section is the steriliser or pasteuriser (based on a suitable heat exchanger according to the product type), and the other is the aseptic filler.”
The product is designed for producers working with a range of high value products including fruit and vegetable purees, fruit-based products, condiments, sauces, soups and prepared foods. HRS said the design combines both the steriliser/pasteuriser and aseptic filler in one package, mounted on a single frame with a single control panel.
One of the first customers has been a food and beverage firm specialising in the production of own-label fruit products, juices, smoothies, drinks and ice cream. “With just 20 to 50kg of product, the company can replicate their full industrial process, producing the end product in the same aseptic format as they would with the full industrial scale system,” said HRS Heat Exchangers’ technical manager Francisco Hernández Ortiz.
“The Asepticblock Mini was installed in their Spanish production plant and linked to other equipment, such as blending tanks and homogenisers, so that they are now able to process a wide range of different products on-site without the need for any external processes. This has greatly increased the agility of their R&D process and facilitated new product development.”
