ABF is a Low Acid validated system

With a grand opening ceremony held in Johor Bahru Malaysia, Pokka Singapore has celebrated the launching into production of its renowned products Jasmine green tea, Chrysanthemum, Oolong tea, Premium milk coffee, Premium milk tea with a new PET Aseptic line supplied by GEA Procomac from Italy. These low acid products, extremely sensitive from a microbiological point of view due to their natural ingredients, are produced with a 14 cavities blow molder at the speed of 28.000 bph on single serve bottle and 13.000 bph on 1.5 l bottle. 
Choosing such an innovative system as the GEA ABF, composed of a rotary Aseptic blow molder with an integrated aseptic filler and capper, means choosing the most cutting edge solution to aseptically fill beverages in a sustainable way. ABF uses dry H2O2 preform sterilization, a smart saving orientated and breakthrough technology that offers maximum efficacy for processing both high acid and low acid beverages. The system uses a flow of Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide at controlled temperature, concentration, contact time and flow rate to achieve an effective Log 6 sterilization of the preform at the exit of the oven.

After the sterilization phase, the preforms enter inside a Microbiological Isolator, which encloses the actual blowing wheel. The stretch blowing machine is the first truly aseptic blow moulding system and it is an integral part of the ABF. All non-cleanable components such as electrical and mechanical components that require lubrication, are located outside the sterile zone. All surfaces in the sterile zone are accessible and can be cleaned by automatic foaming and sterilized by an automatic sterilization cycle with VHP, performed before starting every production cycle. In order to guarantee the maximum quality of the final product, the system has faced and successfully passed a sequence of rigorous decontamination tests (challenge tests) on all microbiological isolator surfaces, such as blower, Filler and capper, and on preform and cap (internally and externally), reaching up to 6 Log reduction on target microorganism (on B.atrophaeus).

To enter into commercial production however, the ABF has also had to pass a production filling test with a specific and very sensitive LA product (broth filling test) and in this case too, it has demonstrated total all round control in terms of critical control points and possible microbiological risk. GEA ABF has proved, with zero contaminated bottles over a total of 30,000 bottles produced, to be a robust and reliable system.

GEA  ABF is a Low Acid validated system, which guarantees the maximum quality of the product thanks to total control over any possible microbiological risk.