FDBusiness.com

Environmental concern is driving major transformation in the global food and beverage sector, which faces enormous financial and operational risks as more sustainable solutions are increasingly in demand. Producers are adopting a more proactive approach to reduce environmental impact and mitigate risk across the supply chain – from grower, to manufacturer, to consumer.

At Stephenson Group, we assume a proactive approach too – with sustainability and innovation at the heart of what we do. It drives our operational strategies, research, and new product development activity. We proactively understand market trends, and are agile in our ability to adapt to, and meet customer needs.

Stephenson Innovation is a specialist business unit, focused on research and development for innovative new specialty chemicals products, and bringing these products to market in collaboration with our commercial and technical teams. The SUSTAIN® series is the first product range to have been developed within Stephenson Innovation’s portfolio; a range of patented non-silicone derived processing aids designed to optimise filling speeds in carbonated beverage manufacture.

The problem:
Carbonated drinks that are prone to excess fobbing (‘foam’) are bottled at a much slower rate; because the speed affects the amount of fob, thus affecting the profitability of the bottling run, explains Jonathan Stott, business manager for Stephenson Innovation’s SUSTAIN® series: “Fobbing can cause overflow at the point of filling, meaning the packaging requires external rinsing. This increases maintenance costs and uses more water. Not only that, production is less efficient due to slower line speeds. This increases processing time, and reduces productivity”.

How SUSTAIN® works:
The SUSTAIN® series is designed to safely and efficiently reduce the amount of fob created during the bottling process, by retaining CO₂ in the carbonated beverage. Unlike silicone antifoams which are surface active; SUSTAIN® works in the bulk of the liquid, coating the micro bubbles and preventing them from joining together to form larger bubbles, leading to more foam.

This delivers four core benefits:

• 25% average increase in filling speeds, leading to better and more consistent filling, increased yields and fewer rejects.

• Extended shelf life of finished products: CO₂ is retained in the beverage, and reduces the amount of CO₂ leaching from the liquid into the headspace and through the plastic.

• Enhanced consumer experience: The poured carbonated beverage will maintain the expected level of ‘fizziness’, giving the consumer an enhanced beverage experience; improving the product and brand image.

• Reduced carbon footprint: As CO₂ is retained in the beverage, it allows for thinner plastic to be used in the packaging, therefore lowering plastic consumption and reducing the amount of plastic that goes to landfill. Water consumption is reduced significantly, as there is no need to ‘wash’ excess fob from the bottles.

Ultimately, productivity is increased, production costs are reduced and this saves money. The latter three benefits are exclusive to SUSTAIN®, and you won’t achieve the same performance with any silicone-based processing aids or antifoams.

For more information about SUSTAIN®, please contact Jonathan Stott, business manager, Stephenson Innovation, on +44 (0) 7880 035289, or via email at jonathan.stott@stephensongroup.co.uk.

You can also visit our website at www.stephensoninnovation.com