Aseptic bag is a kind of packaging material produced by polyethylene particles as raw material, blown film, cutting, heat sealing, vacuum packaging, sterilization in a clean environment.
Aseptic bags are widely used in aseptic solid raw materials, sterile pharmaceutical auxiliary materials, sterile preparations and the like due to their sterility, non-toxicity, excellent low-temperature resistant performance, good chemical stability and electrical insulation properties. Transit and temporary storage of pharmaceuticals and chemical products.
In addition, in the food industry, aseptic packaging bags are divided into high volume aluminum-plastic composite aseptic bags (5 ~ 200L) and low volume co-extruded film aseptic pouches (200 ~ 500ml); aseptic bags can also be used with cardboard The paper-based multi-material composite packaging containers, which consist of aluminum foil and food, contain about 20% of the entire packaging weight, and mainly block the effects of liquid leakage and microbial invasion. They are perfect packaging materials for juices, jams, dairy products and other foods.
There are 5 basic types of aseptic packaging lines:
- Fill and seal: preformed containers made of thermoformed plastic, glass or metal are sterilized, filled in aseptic environment, and sealed
- Form, fill and seal: roll of material is sterilized, formed in sterile environment, filled, sealed e.g. tetrapak
- Erect, fill and seal: using knocked-down blanks, erected, sterilized, filled, sealed. e.g. gable-top cartons, cambri-bloc
- Thermoform, fill, sealed roll stock sterilized, thermoformed, filled, sealed aseptically. e.g. creamers, plastic soup cans
- Blow mold, fill, seal:
How to produce the aseptic bags?
The production environment of aseptic bags needs to be performed in a clean room above level C.
Aseptic bag production process is mainly divided into blown film, cutting, heat sealing bag, vacuum packaging, sterilization and so on.
Blown film:
Must first open the air purification system in the workshop, disinfect and sterilize the workshop and operating personnel, and then blow the membrane through the purified polyethylene particles at a certain temperature;
Cutting:
The tubular film obtained after blown film is cut into different size film barrels according to the customer’s requirements;
Heat sealed bag:
Sealing the film cylinder with a heat sealer;
Vacuum packaging:
The aseptic packaging bag after sealing is vacuum packed according to a certain amount; Because it is very easy to be polluted during the transportation.
Sterilization:
The packaged aseptic bags are gamma sterilized to achieve the sterility requirements of the product.
Compared with ordinary food packaging bags, the essence of aseptic packaging bags is still a plastic bag, and its material and production process are not much different. However, aseptic bags must be carried out in a clean room, through a complex sterilization process to achieve the strict requirements of aseptic packaging. It is a specialized manufacturing process in which food, pharmaceutical, or other contents are sterilized separately from packaging. The contents are then inserted into the pouches in a sterile environment.
How to guarantee sterilization ?
Through the clean room, use sterilization factors (such as ETO ethylene oxide, gamma cobalt 60 rays, high temperature and high pressure steam, etc.) to kill the bacteria in the packaging bag.
The principle is because:
Sterilization Factor Size < Packaging Material Surface Aperture Size < Bacteria Size
Sterilization factors (such as ETO ethylene oxide gas, high-temperature steam, gamma cobalt 60 radiation, etc.) can penetrate the aseptic packaging bag to kill the bacteria inside the packaging bag, and then pass through the hole diameter of the aseptic bag. The bacterial factor was dissolved to ensure that no toxic substances remained in the bag.
Because the diameter of the bacteria is larger than the pore size of the packaging bag, the inside and outside of the package cannot be circulated, and bacteria are trapped outside the packaging bag. As a result, the contents of the interior of the aseptic bag are sterilized and maintained in a sterile state, and the aseptic bag acts as a sterile barrier.
What is the key features ?
Compared with ordinary bags, aseptic bags can retain the nutrients of the food, it helps the food to maintain more color, texture, mouthfeel, and consume less energy, stored at room temperature for longer, and Sterility-required products provide a safe and stable storage environment.
Aseptic bags have stringent hygiene standards and need to be made in clean rooms from production to packaging. And depending on the application of the product, sterile bags also have different standards. For example, food-grade sterile bags, bacteria inspection generally only require E. coli and other 0, the number of other bacteria is not required; And pharmaceutical grade, all the requirements of the bacteria are 0.
Aseptic technology keeps food safe, fresh and flavourful for at least six months — without refrigeration or preservatives. It allows food to retain more colour, texture, taste and nutrition.
The most important point to remember is that it must be sterile! All handling of product post-process must be within the sterile environment.
Why choose aseptic bags?
It is easy to store and lower cost.
For example, as we know, the packaging requirements for sterile injection powders such as antibiotics are very strict, and no physical or chemical reactions between the package and the drug are allowed. It is not allowed to carry any impurities including bacteria.
For a long time, glass bottles or aluminum barrels have been used for the packaging of such substances. However, such packaging has the problems of fragility, difficulty in recycling, and high cost, and the emergence of aseptic bags has solved these packaging problems well.
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