Combi Predis FMa for PET approved in the USA

Sidel has obtained FDA approval for the aseptic filling system Combi Predis, featuring dry preform sterilization, for low-acid beverage production in the USA.

Following a battery of rigorous testing at the facility of a US dairy product manufacturer, Sidel has received the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the aseptic filling system Combi Predis™ FMa, which is deemed suitable for the production and distribution in the US market of low acid beverages in PET containers.
Combi Predis integrates dry preform sterilization with aseptic blowing, filling and sealing operations in a single work environment. The system is based on patented Sidel technology that differs from conventional approaches in that the sterilization occurs while the preform is being processed, rather than the bottle.

Dover Brook Associates (DBA) - the company authorized by the FDA to perform inspections on the Sidel filling system - carefully examined the design, critical factors and the parameters of the sterile environment. All the tests were carried out using a commercial filler for aseptic packaging of UHT milk-based products in PET bottles, and they were all passed with flying colors.
«The tests conducted by DBA have supplied us with new technical data since not only the process but the technology as a whole was examined and approved» explains Arnoud Poupet, Sidel’s head of aseptic platforms and products.
DBA concluded that a smaller sterile chamber ensures a quality aseptic process, guaranteeing production and distribution in commercially sterile and hermetically sealed bottles.

From testing to market
Sidel’s name is synonymous with experience and knowhow. The firm has been developing aseptic solutions for bottling beverages and dairy products for 40 years, operating in PET packaging for 35 years and in blowing for 50 years. In 2002, the concern previewed its dry preform sterilization technology, integrated with an aseptic Combi for production of UHT milk in PET bottles. Today the number of Sidel Predis machines installed exceeds one hundred, thanks to world famous advantages including safety and simplicity, economy, no water consumption and very limited recourse to chemical products (with resulting environmental benefits).

The Sidel Group solutions at Drinktec
Sidel and Gebo Cermex bring to Munich (stand A6.330) an array of the latest generation of their complete beverage packaging solutions.
- Sidel Super Combi, an integrated system for the production of ready-to-sell water and carbonated drinks: ultra high speed, optimal functioning, very low TCO. Integrated intelligence makes the system self-optimizing.
- A modular and flexible labeler for applying labels on glass and PET containers, with fast and easy format changeover.
- Sidel fillers for glass and cans, based on the Sidel MatrixTM platform: packaging beer and carbonated drinks with improved hygienic conditions, high flexibility and maximum efficiency.
- Tthe Agility 4.0TM system for digitally assisted analysis, improving performance and personalizing mass packaging.
- Hot and aseptic filling solutions for PET containers.