A. Aseptic packaging is a beverage and liquid food system widely used in Europe and Asia for several decades and introduced to the United States in the early 1980s. This remarkable packaging system allows products once considered perishable to be distributed and stored without refrigeration for periods up to six months or more—even delicate foods such as milk, soy beverages, juice, and nectars.

The aseptic packaging system achieves this room-temperature shelf stability by filling a sterilized package with a sterile food product within the confines of a hygienic environment. Most other package types and systems use preservatives and/or refrigeration to achieve a long shelf life.

The aseptic process is a major advance over traditional canning techniques, such as retort and hot-fill canning. Retort canning typically requires products to be heated in the container for 20 to 50 minutes. Hot-fill canning uses the heat of the product to sterilize both the product and the package, a process which takes 1-3 minutes for heating and another 7-15 minutes for cooling. In contrast, aseptically processed liquid foods and beverages are sterilized outside the package using an ultra-high temperature process that rapidly heats, 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.

This flash-heating-and-cooling aseptic process substantially reduces the energy use and nutrient loss associated with conventional sterilization. As a result, aseptically packaged products retain more nutritional value and exhibit more natural texture, color, and taste.

A. 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 while ensuring safety."

A. Aseptically packaged products include milks, juices, tomatoes, soups, broths, tofu, soy beverages, wines, liquid eggs, whipping cream, and teas.

A. In Europe, a wide variety of aseptically packaged products are available from pasteurized milk and yogurt drinks to fruit-based desserts and savory sauces.

A. This revolutionary, box-shaped package is a laminate of three materials: high-quality paperboard, polyethylene, and aluminum. Each material plays a critical role in achieving the unique benefits of the aseptic package.

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.

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.

A. The aseptic package contains a total of six layers in this order: polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, aluminum foil, polyethylene, and polyethylene.

A. No. Aseptic packages contain layers of paper, aluminum, and polyethylene (plastic), all of which are designed to work together to keep the products fresh. The inside layer of an aseptic package, which touches the product, is polyethylene, not aluminum. Moreover, there is no leaching of aluminum or aluminum components through the plastic layer.

A. The polyethylene used in the aseptic package, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), is an FDA-approved food-contact surface material. As early as 1995, the aseptic packaging industry began to test LDPE to determine if any plastic was leaching into the product contained in aseptic cartons. Of particular concern were endocrine-mimicking chemicals that have been mentioned in the popular press in connection with breast cancer and male infertility, including bisphenol A (BPA), nonylphenol, and phthalates. Industry tests have shown that these chemicals are not present in the aseptic packaging LDPE that comes in contact with aseptically packaged products.

A. No. Irradiation is a pasteurization process that kills more than 99 percent of most food-borne bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. Food and beverages placed in aseptic packages undergo a flash-heating-and-cooling-process and are immediately placed and sealed into the carton in a sterile environment, preserving the freshness and nutrients, without the need for irradiation, preservatives, or even refrigeration.

A. According to a national packaging study conducted by the Boston-based Tellus Institute for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the ‘90s, the aseptic package has one of the lowest environmental impacts of any beverage container. "For single-serving packages," the study concludes, "the recycled aluminum can and the aseptic package have the lowest environmental costs, while the virgin aluminum can has the highest environmental cost."

In 1996, the aseptic package and the aseptic packaging industry received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the most coveted environmental prize in the United States, at a White House ceremony. The President’s Council on Sustainable Development, charged with making award selections, comprises some of this country’s best-known environmental organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, and The Nature Conservancy.

There are several good reasons why aseptic packaging is considered by packaging experts to be one of the most environmentally responsible beverage packages on the market today:

Source reduction through minimal use of materials. Because they are made with less packaging material than virtually any other comparable container, aseptic cartons create less waste from the start. A typical single-serve aseptic package provides a product-to-packaging ratio that is 96 percent beverage to only 4 percent packaging by weight. By using fewer materials in manufacturing, there is less to dispose of after use.

Energy efficiency. This package also uses far less energy to manufacture, fill, ship, and store products than virtually any comparable package. The aseptic package is a lightweight, efficient brick design, and its ability to preserve beverages without refrigeration or preservatives are key factors in saving energy.

Recycling. Aseptic packages along with milk and juice cartons are recycled through a simple, well-established process called hydrapulping. The high-quality fiber is used in the production of paper products such as tissue and paper towels and fine writing paper. In some cases the plastic/foil residual is being recycled into high-end plastic lumber products. Today 58 million Americans in 24 states have the ability to recycle aseptic packages and milk and juice cartons curbside and the numbers keep growing.

A. Aseptic packages and paperboard containers such as milk cartons are collected and baled through curbside and drop-off programs and then sold to an end market. At the mill, the aseptic packages and paperboard cartons are recycled together through a simple paper recycling process known as hydrapulping. In a hydrapulper, which works like a household blender, aseptic packages and milk cartons are agitated for 30 to 40 minutes until the plastic and foil layers separate from the pulp. Repeated rinsings and the use of screens further separate the fiber from the thin layers of aluminum and plastic. The high-quality paper fiber is then recycled into paper products such as paper towels and tissue products.

A. Because it’s still fairly new. In 1990, there were only two milk-carton-and-drink-box recycling programs in the United States. Today 58 million Americans in 24 states have access to curbside recycling programs that accept these containers; these millions of households were added as a result of industry efforts to get cities and towns across America to include aseptic packages in their recycling programs.

Another dynamic to consider is that aseptic packaging comprises just 3 percent of the packaging waste stream. The larger the impact on the waste stream, the more likely it is that communities will move aggressively to add a material to its recycling program. It is for that reason that the aseptic packaging industry includes paperboard milk and juice cartons in its efforts to establish recycling programs nationwide.

A. No. Actually, the aseptic package is an excellent example of minimal packaging. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called aseptics a "great example of source reduction [reducing the amount of packaging for a single product]," an EPA priority.

An aseptic package is typically 96 percent beverage to 4 percent packaging. PET bottles are 95 percent product to 5 percent packaging; steel cans are 89 percent product to 11 percent packaging; and glass bottles are 65 percent product to 35 percent packaging—all by weight.

A. Since they were introduced in the early 1980s, aseptic packages have become very popular in the U.S., especially in households with children. The special aseptic process yields a shelf-stable product, which can be kept in a cupboard for extended periods of time without preservatives or refrigeration. In describing their preference, American consumers often point to the safety, nutrition, and ease of handling of the aseptic package. Others prefer the aseptic carton because it is shatter-proof and tamper-evident.

A. Food service operators often point to the aseptic carton’s lightweight, space-efficient block shape, and shelf stability when describing the benefits of aseptic packaging in restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, and health care facilities, to name a few. Moreover, kitchen staff save valuable time using the easy-open, easy-pour, and reclosable features common to multi-serve cartons, as compared to the opening and handling requirements of equivalent size canned products. In addition, because no can opener is required, there are no exposed sharp edges, making the aseptic carton a safe choice in the kitchen. Once aseptic cartons are empty, these source-reduced, environmentally friendly packages are easy to crush so they take up less space in a dumpster and make for cost-efficient disposal.

A. The Aseptic Packaging Council is a trade association representing the major U.S. manufacturers of aseptic packages—Tetra Pak Inc. of Vernon Hills, IL and SIG Combibloc Inc. of Chester, PA. Founded in 1989, the APC’s mission is to inform the American public about the product benefits and environmental attributes of aseptic packaging.