Food & Beverage Asia June/July 2022

50
FIRST LOOKS
PLF International
unveils new PLF
Virtusinline
vacuum filler
JBT Corporation’s PLF International has
announced the launch of its new PLF Virtus
linear vacuum filler. PLF Virtus is the new
range of linear vacuum filling machines,
designed to handle a wide range of milkbased
nutritional powders including infant
formula and specialised medical nutrition.
The Virtus incorporates a new patent
pending nozzle design that delivers up
to three times higher throughput per
head than previous machines, which
reduces changeover and cleaning times,
maximises yield, and reduces operational
costs. The new range will be offered
in one, two, three, four, and six head
models, and run at speeds of up to 180
can per minute with configurable options
to meet the needs of its’ customers.
“This is a very exciting development for
us, as the higher throughputs that are
now possible mean that the Virtus is an
attractive alternative to rotary machines
currently operating up to 180 cans per
minute. The operational cost savings
on utility consumption, cleaning time,
changeover time, and maintenance that we
can achieve with Virtus are very significant.
I believe we now have the most competitive
and sustainable filler in this industry,”
said Amedeo Scapin, global director.
Compared to auger filling systems, PLF’s
vacuum filling system has no moving
parts in contact with the product,
which eliminates any risk of product
contamination, as well as the possibility
of powder breakdown during filling.
Carlos Fernandez, executive vice-president
of JBT Corporation, and president of
diversified food and health, said: “We are
thrilled to offer the cutting edge PLF Virtus
and expand on our commitment to provide
the safest and most effective technology to
our customers, ultimately providing the best
possible products to the end-consumer.” ■
Walki introduces
recyclable
materials for
frozen food
Walki has introduced a portfolio of different
materials for the frozen food market.
Walki EVO Seal and Walki Opti Seal are
recyclable paper-based packaging
intended for pillow-pouches for frozen
food. Walki EVO Seal has a dispersion
coating as barrier against water vapour
and grease while Walki Opti Seal has an
optimised PE-extrusion coating. Both
are suitable for all kind of frozen food.
The dispersion coating makes Walki EVO
Seal recyclable in the waste-paper stream
without any separation process, while
the minimised PE-coating on Walki Opti
Seal makes it suitable to be recycled with
paper with an acceptable fibre yield.
Lamibel MDO-PE is a film-based material
for pillow pouches made of reverse printed
MDO-film and solvent-free laminated with
low sealing LDPE. With the MDO technology,
the film thickness is minimised while
performance is maximised by replacing
other sorts of materials such as PP- or
PET-films. The combination of two PEfilms
makes the packaging fully recyclable
in the plastics stream. The stretched film
has better optics with higher stiffness and
mechanical properties than standard PE.
The film can also be transparent, allowing
the consumer to see the product.
Lamibel MDO-PE is an ideal material
for all type of packaging, and all kind
of frozen food like vegetables, sharpedges
seafood and bakery. Walki Pack Tray
is a board-based tray suitable for frozen
ready-made meals, designed to replace
aluminium, plastic or plastic-coated trays.
It is easy-to-fill, transport and store, and
is also the convenient choice for the
consumer as the fibre-based tray is safe
to use in microwaves and in conventional
ovens up to 220°C for up to 60 minutes.
The tray material is 100% PET free and
recyclable in the paper stream. ■
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA JUNE / JULY 2022