Okuzeka
Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Packaging and Labeling

Aseptic packaging

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

nounCommon term

In food science & technology, aseptic packaging means: Filling a commercially sterile product into sterilized containers in a sterile environment and sealing them, so that the food stays safe at room temperature.

In Turkish: aseptik ambalajlama, aseptik dolum

How it is used

Used after UHT treatment for milk, juice, soups and sauces, usually in multi-layer cartons, bottles or bags. The packaging material is often sterilized with hydrogen peroxide. Engineers talk about aseptic fillers, sterile zones and integrity tests on finished packs.

Example sentences

  1. With aseptic packaging, the juice needs no preservatives and no refrigeration.

  2. A fault on the aseptic packaging line caused a whole batch of swollen cartons.

Common collocations

  • aseptic filling
  • aseptic filler
  • aseptic carton
  • sterile zone
  • package integrity
  • UHTUltra-high temperature: a heat treatment that heats a liquid food to about 135–150 °C for a few seconds and then packs it aseptically, so it keeps for months without refrigeration.
  • sterilizationA treatment, usually with high heat, that destroys microorganisms and their spores so that a food can be stored at room temperature without spoiling or becoming unsafe.
  • packagingThe materials and containers that hold and protect a food product, and also the process of putting the product into them.
  • shelf lifeThe length of time a food stays safe and keeps its expected quality when it is stored under the stated conditions.

More terms: Packaging and Labeling

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