The drink box combines thin layers of paper, plastic, and aluminum to form a unique, high-performance beverage and liquid-foods container that is both compact and lightweight, yet tough enough for children and active adults. Each material used in the drink box plays an important role in protecting food quality.

Paper (70 percent) provides stiffness, strength and the efficient brick shape to the package.

Polyethylene (24 percent) on the innermost layer forms the seals that make the package liquid-tight. A protective coating on the exterior keeps the package dry and provides a unique printing surface for nutritional information and graphic design.

Aluminum (6 percent) forms a barrier against light and oxygen. This ultra-thin layer of foil eliminates the need for refrigeration and prevents spoilage without using preservatives.

The aseptic packaging system is unique in that it fills a sterilized package with a sterile food product within the confines of a hygienic environment. Filled aseptic packages are sealed tight, rendering a packaged product capable of being stored over long periods of time - at normal room temperatures and without preservatives. This is in contrast to many other package types and delivery systems, which must include the use of both preservatives and refrigeration for many products. Thus, aseptic processing and packages can preserve even delicate foods such as milk and orange juice for months without refrigeration or artificial preservatives.

The Award-Winning Process

The aseptic packaging process is a major advance over traditional canning techniques. The liquid food or beverage is sterilized outside the package using an ultra-high temperature (UHT) process that rapidly heats, and then cools the product before filling. The processing equipment allows the time (generally 3 to 15 seconds) and temperature (195° to 285°F) to be tailored to place the least amount of thermal stress on the product while ensuring safety.

Compared with traditional canning, where products are heated in the container for 20 to 50 minutes, aseptic packaging's flash heating and cooling substantially reduce the energy use and nutrient loss associated with conventional sterilization. As a result, aseptically packaged products can retain more nutritional value and exhibit more natural texture, color and taste, all while using less energy.

The aseptic process is so revolutionary, that an expert panel at the prestigious Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) named it "the most significant food science innovation of the last 50 years" ...ahead of even the microwave! The IFT stated that, "Compared with traditional canning techniques, the aseptic process allows a substantial reduction in the time and temperature necessary for sterilization. That, in turn, increases nutrient retention and flavor for ensuring safety."

Innovative Design = Desirability

The aseptic package itself is a unique, multi-layer lamination that combines the best attributes of paper, plastic and aluminum to form a singular, high-performance beverage container. Each material performs critical functions in protecting food quality prior to consumption.

Since their introduction in the U.S. in 1981, "drink boxes" have become extremely popular with consumers, especially those who have children. Despite the many technological innovations that stand behind aseptic processing and packaging, consumers refer mostly to convenience, safety and nutrition when describing their preference for drink boxes.

Safety and Convenience

Aseptic packaging is more than a consumer convenience; it is a technological lifeline for vulnerable populations in less developed countries as well as in the U.S. Because aseptic packaging can deliver whole milk and 100 percent juices to areas with little or no refrigeration, the drink box is playing an important role in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Aseptically packaged milk is particularly needed in underdeveloped countries where water supplies are inadequate or contaminated. In such circumstances, powdered milks are unusable and the drink box represents the only source of milk for children and pregnant women.

Not surprisingly, the drink box is routinely requested by disaster relief agencies such as the Red Cross. In the U.S., aseptically packaged milk and juice concentrates have become a staple of the federally-sponsored Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program aimed at improving nutrition among poor and homeless families across the country.

Relief agencies see the same benefits to the drink box as ordinary consumers do. It's a safe, simple and efficient package for juice and dairy products. This combination of quality aseptic processing, shelf stability and source reduction also makes the aseptic package ideal for a variety of food products. In the U.S., chopped and strained tomatoes are available in larger aseptic packages, while in Europe, consumers can buy products such as soups, sauces and baby foods in aseptic cartons.

The combination of quality aseptic processing, shelf stability, and source reduction also makes the aseptic package ideal for a variety of food products.