Functional benefits, exciting flavours and naturally low sugar-content – their potential gives ready-to-drink (RTD) tea products a lot of consumer appeal. Thinking of becoming a part of this growing market segment? To avoid starting from scratch, it may be worthwhile to convert one of your existing production lines. Here, we take a closer look at how it can be done.
Are you producing juice, dairy or plant-based products today? Then there is a high possibility you can it will be easy to upgrade your existing production setup and equipment for RTD tea.
Key steps in any upgrade
No two upgrades are identical – but all processes have some things in common. Together, we can evaluate your current processing capabilities and technologies - from mixing and blending, to heat treatment - and identify what changes are needed to meet your defined goals and ambitions for the future.
From there, consider the key optimisations and potential for automation, and the need for additional training and support. While individual upgrade programs are always unique, the following examples highlight typical ways to adapt existing lines.
If you are planning to make your RTD tea from tea leaves, you will need an extraction unit and a clarifier. If you start with tea powder or concentrate, you can move straight to the mixing, blending and formulation phase.
Mixing
What you can re-use: Your mixing and blending station, such as Tetra Pak® High Shear Mixer.
What you need to do: We help you adapt your mixer so it can dissolve the gums, sugar and other ingredients your RTD tea recipe uses. This is also where you make the recipe adjustments you need to achieve the right pH in your product. You also need sufficient powder handling and storage facilities if you are using large quantities of new ingredients.
Heat treatment
What you can re-use: Most likely, you can use your existing UHT equipment to heat and cool your RTD tea.
What you need to do: Minor modifications to production parameters such as temperature and heating times to achieve the shelf life and flavour you are after. Also, if you intend to produce a high acid tea using standard pasteurization parameters such as 95°C for 15-30 seconds, it is likely a good idea to add another holding tube. Otherwise, the capacity would need to be significantly reduced to allow a longer holding time.
Cleaning-in-place (CIP)
What you can re-use: Your existing CIP (Cleaning-in-place) system. As the cleaning process for equipment involved in milk production is very thorough, any changes to your CIP system are rarely needed.
What you need to do: When producing dairy products and RTD tea on the same line, there is a risk of colours and flavours being transferred from one product to the other. To avoid this, you may need to make minor adjustments to, for example, cleaning times and detergent concentration. It is also a good idea to change to sealings made with fluoropolymer elastomer and synthetic rubber compound materials throughout the line. These sealings are ideal for guarding against the transfer of colours and flavours.
If you are already making products based on oats, soya, rice, potatoes, or something else entirely, your audience is already open to new experiences. So why not add RTD tea to the mix? Making RTD tea from tea leaves require an extraction unit and a clarifier. If you start with tea powder or concentrate, you can move straight to the mixing, blending and formulation phase.
Mixing
What you can re-use: Your mixing and blending station, such as Tetra Pak® High Shear Mixer.
What you need to do: We help you adapt your mixer so it can dissolve the gums, sugar and other ingredients your RTD tea recipe uses. This is also where you make the recipe adjustments you need to achieve the right pH in your product. You also need sufficient powder handling and storage facilities if you are using large quantities of new ingredients.
Heat treatment
What you can re-use: Most likely, you can use your existing UHT equipment to heat and cool your RTD tea.
What you need to do: Minor modifications to production parameters such as temperature and heating times to achieve the shelf life and flavour you are after. Also, if you intend to produce a high acid tea using standard pasteurization parameters such as 95°C for 15-30 seconds, it is likely a good idea to add another holding tube. Otherwise, the capacity would need to be significantly reduced to allow a longer holding time.
Cleaning in place (CIP)
What you can re-use: Your existing CIP (Cleaning-in-place) system. As the cleaning process for equipment involved in production of plant-based beverages is very thorough, any changes to your CIP system are rarely needed.
What you need to do: When producing plant-based products and RTD tea on the same line, there is a risk of colours and flavours being transferred from one product to the other. To avoid this, you may need to make minor adjustments to for example, cleaning times and detergent concentration. It is also a good idea to change to sealings made with fluoropolymer elastomer and synthetic rubber compound materials throughout the line. These sealings are ideal for guarding against the transfer of colours and flavours.
If you are planning to make your RTD tea from tea leaves, you will need an extraction unit and a clarifier. If you start with tea powder or concentrate, you can move straight to the mixing, blending and formulation phase.
Mixing
What you can re-use: Your mixing and blending station, such as Tetra Pak® High Shear Mixer.
What you need to do: We help you adapt your mixer so it can dissolve the gums, sugar and other ingredients your RTD tea recipe uses. This is also where you make the recipe adjustments you need to achieve the right pH in your product. You also need sufficient powder handling and storage facilities if you are using large quantities of new ingredients.
Heat treatment
What you can re-use: Most likely, you can use your existing UHT equipment to heat and cool your RTD tea.
What you need to do: Minor modifications to production parameters such as temperature and heating times to achieve the shelf life and flavour you are after. Also, if you intend to produce a high acid tea using standard pasteurization parameters such as 95°C for 15-30 seconds, it is likely a good idea to add another holding tube. Otherwise, the capacity would need to be significantly reduced to allow a longer holding time.
Cleaning in place (CIP)
What you can re-use: Your existing CIP (Cleaning-in-place) system. As the cleaning process for equipment involved in production of plant-based beverages is very thorough, any changes to your CIP system are rarely needed.
What you need to do: When producing juice and RTD tea on the same line, there is a risk of colours and flavours being transferred from one product to the other. To avoid this, you may need to make minor adjustments to for example, cleaning times and detergent concentration. It is also a good idea to change to sealings made with fluoropolymer elastomer and synthetic rubber compound materials throughout the line. These sealings are ideal for guarding against the transfer of colours and flavours.
