Tetra Pak (tetrapak.com) announces the launch of Tetra Alsafe^® for ESL production, an automated tank with constant temperature control that preserves product quality between processing and packaging. This innovation completes the company’s offer for production of extended shelf-life (ESL) products with full line quality control.

Distributed under chilled conditions with a shelf life of up to 30 days, ESL products are gaining popularity among consumers and selling at a premium. They are also appreciated by retailers and producers for the convenience of planning due to the longer shelf life compared to traditional pasteurized products.

However, production of ESL products requires careful handling, one of the challenges being the quality control between processing and packaging. Tetra Alsafe for ESL production provides a solution to that challenge – it adds a continuous circular configuration to the filling line, enabling products to continue to circulate under refrigerated conditions in the event of an unplanned stoppage. This eliminates the risk of bacteria growth that can arise when the temperature of the product increases as it remains stationary during an unplanned stoppage.

“ESL products open up a major growth opportunity for customers across the entire food and drinks industry. With the innovation of Tetra Alsafe for ESL, we are pleased to be the first company to support our customers with an integrated ESL production solution and full line quality assurance,” says Kresten Hjortsballe, global category director dairy at Tetra Pak.

 Tetra Alsafe for ESL can be combined with a wide range of Tetra Pak ESL processing, buffering, filling, packaging and automation machines, providing customers with tailor-made solutions to process white milk.