The right line for all your ESL products – and much more
Maximising flexibility with high heat treatment
When it comes to flexible production of chilled extended shelf life (ESL) products, nothing beats high heat treatment (HHT). Unlike other shelf-life-extending options, HHT offers potential for a wider range of ESL dairy than just standard white milk. And that’s just the start. With the right technologies, configured in the right way, HHT can open the door to an optimised solution for processing ESL, UHT and other products all on the same line.
Here are some of the considerations to think about when planning your flexible ESL line solution:
Before you can identify the right solution, however, you need to first define what exactly “flexible production” means for your market. No two dairies are the same, and the “flexibility” demands for one operation may differ vastly from another. For example, some dairies may be focused on producing a wide range of ESL products for chilled distribution: white, lactose-free, and flavoured milks. Others may be looking to add UHT products to their existing ESL product range (or vice-versa).
Understanding the desired characteristics and quality expectations of your products is necessary for setting the limits to what can be achieved and identifying the right technological solutions. Much of the focus will be on selecting the appropriate heat treatment for your needs, but considerations must also be paid to downstream demands, including storage, transfer and potentially separate filling and packaging lines.
Do you need direct heat treatment?
When the goal is to produce premium-quality ESL dairy products, our typical recommendation is direct heat treatment technology. This provides a low heat load that preserves both the sensory characteristics and nutritional values of white milk. For cream products, which are sensitive to the mechanical shear of an indirect heating system, a direct heat solution offers the best assurance of quality.
Furthermore, direct heating is well-suited for heat-sensitive or heat-instable products, such as lactose free milk, or when processing a variety of different product viscosities. It is also the go-to choice for plant-based processing, for producers who want the possibility to process dairy and non-dairy drinks on the same line. Direct heating can even create the potential for longer production runs and, as a result, increased output.
… or does indirect heating make more sense for your products?
Indirect heat treatment solutions can provide the same long-shelf-life possibilities as direct heat treatment, but with lower utility costs. Reduced OPEX is therefore the main reason dairies choose this option. When optimised for ESL milk, heat load can be kept at a level that is only slightly higher than a typical direct system, but with significantly reduced energy consumption.
Indirect systems can also be designed to enable flexibility for both chilled and ambient distribution, when there is little variation in the viscosity of the products in question. While a design optimised for UHT treatment will add heat load to ESL products, the increased load is typically not a concern for applications like flavoured milk.
Additionally, there are some applications, such as drinking yoghurt or products with larger particles, where direct heating cannot be used. If these are part of your portfolio – or might be someday – you will need the option for indirect treatment.
But why choose?
What if your consumers demand a high-quality, premium white milk and flavoured drinking yoghurts? Historically, this would have meant multiple investments in two complete lines. Today the Tetra Pak® Direct UHT unit gives you the best of both worlds, with the multimode option for switching between direct and indirect heating. It thereby offers ultimate flexibility for a large variety of products, enabling the lowest possible total cost of ownership.
The right capacity – for all your needs
Capacity needs will change over time as your business grows, and they can also vary dramatically from product to product. For example, you may produce quite a lot of your brand’s most iconic products, while new innovations start out in smaller batches. A flexible line means having the capability to handle both.
This is why we engineer UHT units with variable capacity. The direct system can be run at 50% of dimensioning capacity, while this can be as low as 30% for the indirect system. Reducing capacity will entail an increase in heat load on the product, but in many cases, the advantage of flexible capacity may very well outweigh the efficiency trade-off.
More ingredients. Less space.
Of course, adding flexibility to your operation is about far more than your choice of heating solution. Different products will have different processing needs, requiring different considerations and different types of equipment. In simple terms: adding a new product to your portfolio will almost invariably add complexity to your line.
We work with you to find innovative ways to reduce that complexity – without reducing your flexibility. For example, our OneStep technology with in-line blending makes it possible to work with a larger number of ingredients, while simultaneously reducing the need for intermediate storage tanks. In-line blending can therefore open the door to a wider range of flavoured or functional products, with a smaller equipment footprint and lower operational costs than traditional solutions.
Ultimately, the limits of your solution will not be defined by the sheer number of different products you want to produce. What you can or cannot do will be defined by the technical challenges of your most complicated products, and the compromises they may require you to make for your other products or for operational efficiency.
For these reasons, it can be valuable to collaborate with a supplier that can provide both the necessary technology and extensive food processing expertise. At Tetra Pak, we have decades of experience working with a broad range of products, and we therefore understand the challenges that different applications can present. Working together, we can help you design a line to support product quality and shelf-life goals for your ESL offering – and beyond.
