Tetra Pak promises sparkling results from intelligent CIP system

Tetra Pak said the latest version of its ‘cleaning in place’ solution for food processing and packaging systems is quicker, greener and generates greater cost savings.

The company made the claims today as it launched the latest version of its Tetra Alcip system.

Reduce costs and environmental footprint

The “intelligent” technology features a new automation platform that significantly improves accuracy compared to rival systems. It also reduces the risk of human error, thus raising food safety assurance levels, as well as cutting operational cost, said Tetra Pak.

The automated technology is able to ensure that optimum amounts of water and detergent are employed for the correct amount of time – with the company claiming potential reductions in water usage reaching 21 per cent and cuts in detergent of up to 7 per cent.

The new platform includes a range of sophisticated features which improve flexibility for processing and packaging operations.

A conductivity management feature facilitates the “best possible accuracy on detergent concentration, which assures the highest food safety without unnecessary overdosing of detergents”, said the firm.

A patented liquid tracking system monitors different liquids in the cleaning process to give more control over the control and sorting of fluids.

The system comes with a range of pre-set CIP programmes plus the ability to incorporate customized cleaning routines from operators, which are automatically validated before use, a Tetra Pak spokesman told FoodProductionDaily.com.

It also has a queue handling facility, which sorts and prioritises jobs according to urgency criteria.

A flexible dosing system controls detergent concentration continuously, in line.

This allows the topping-up or boosting of the detergent concentration at any time without having to stop to mix new detergent,” explained the spokesman.

Short payback time

The operational savings resulting from its adopting in plant means the system has a short payback time, said Tetra Pak.

The ability for reconfiguration and upgrades means the Alcip system to be “a future-proof investment”, it added.

“Tetra Alcip gives customers complete control of CIP to deliver perfect cleaning results, reduced environmental impact and enhanced food safety,” said Paul Wirtz, managing director Tetra Pak Dairy & Beverage Systems AB.