| Filling principle | Hot-fill, up to 85 C |
| Output range | 6,000-36,000 BPH at 0.2-2 L |
| Container | Heat-resistant PET geometry, or glass |
| Line | Hot-fill monobloc with tunnel pasteuriser |
| Products | Juice, tea, nectar, functional drinks |
| Key control | Fill temperature, hold time, cap seal |
Hot filling does two jobs at once: it pasteurises the product on the way to the filler, and the residual heat sanitises the bottle and cap. That is why a hot-fill line can run an acidic juice without a separate bottle steriliser. The price is a heat-resistant bottle and a longer cooling tunnel.
Fill temperature and hold time together set the pasteurisation result. Below the target, shelf life is at risk; above it, the product cooks and the bottle deforms. The number belongs to the product and the bottle, not to the machine, and it should be written into the acceptance protocol with a tolerance.
| Route | Temperature | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Hot fill | Up to 85 C | Heat-resistant bottle and a cooling tunnel |
| Cold fill with preservative | Ambient | Formulation constraint, not a machine constraint |
| Cold fill with in-line pasteuriser | Product-side only | Separate pasteuriser and a closed filling zone |
| Hot fill in glass | Up to 85 C | Glass mass, slower line, higher transport cost |
Throughput and change-part lists are on the Juice By Volumetric Filler page rather than in this note.
Cap seals and filling valve O-rings, because they see the highest temperature every cycle. A seal that is fine on a water line at 20 C will harden in weeks at 85 C. The spare parts list should carry those two items in proportion to the number of valves, not as a single set.
For the same duty in another bottle format, the Hotfill Type Filling Machine for Juice is specified separately.
Tea usually needs finer filtration, deaeration to protect aroma, and a fill temperature that does not strip the volatile notes. Tea also clouds after cooling, so the clarification step is part of the product design, not a filling detail.
They are particularly suitable for products with uniform viscosity, providing reliability in production processes.
The same question is worked through from another angle in How Hotfill Lines Preserve Juice Safety and Flavor.
Up to 85 C, set per product and per bottle. The exact set point and tolerance belong in the product specification, because acidity, pulp content and bottle wall thickness all move it.
It replaces the bottle steriliser for acidic products, because the fill temperature and hold time do the microbial work. It does not replace correct product formulation or a validated hold tube.
It depends on the hold tube volume and the heater capacity. The line is not production-ready until the return temperature is stable, so start-up time belongs in the daily plan rather than being discovered at shift start.
Heat-sensitive pigments and vitamins degrade above the product temperature limit. The fill temperature and the hold time are the two variables; lowering either protects colour and shortens the microbial margin.
Country: Turkey
Product: Glass and PET Bottled Juice
Capacity: 20000BPH(330ml) Glass Bottle; 4000BPH(3L) PET Bottle
Solution:Juice Production Line
Country:Kazakhstan
Product: PET Bottled Sparkling Water, Canned Soft Drink, Canned Tea
Capacity: 25000CPH (250ml)
Solution:Three Lines,7000BPH(1.5L), 15000CPH(330ml),15000CPH(450ml)