| Filling principle | Hot-fill, up to 85 C |
| Capacity | 6,000-36,000 BPH at 0.2-2 L |
| Bottle | 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.
These tunnels are designed to subject the juice to precise temperature controls, effectively eliminating harmful bacteria and pathogens while preserving the overall quality of the product.
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.
By subjecting the juice to precise temperature treatments that deactivate enzymes and microorganisms responsible for spoilage, pasteurizing tunnels help prolong the product's freshness and maintain its quality over an extended period.
| 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 |
Site requirements, air and water consumption sit with the Hotfill Type Filling Machine for Juice.
Cold filling protects heat-sensitive flavour and colour and allows a lighter bottle. It needs either a preservative system or a validated cold chain, and it moves the microbial control to the product and the plant rather than to the filler. The decision is commercial before it is technical.
The Juice By Volumetric Filler is the reference unit for this configuration.
With a storage trial on the actual product, bottle and closure, held at the intended temperature and sampled on a schedule. Changing the fill temperature, the bottle or the cap invalidates the previous result, which is why those three are treated as one specification.
The same question is worked through from another angle in How Hotfill Juice Lines Improve Safety and Quality.
No. Standard PET softens and deforms at fill temperature. The bottle needs a heat-resistant geometry, and the mould and preform are part of the project, not an afterthought.
Usually fill temperature above the bottle rating, or a vacuum that forms as the product cools. Check the fill temperature against the bottle specification and the cap seal before changing the cooling profile.
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.
Yes, if the filler, the recipe and the downstream cooling are specified for both. Tea usually needs a finer filtration step and a different deaeration setting, so the changeover is a recipe and filter change, not just a new label.
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)