Ovivo has saved the state of Queensland millions of litres of water each day by building an advanced water treatment plant (AWTP) which is claimed to be the first of its kind globally and the first of its scale.

The BencoPack aseptic form-fill-seal machine has been used to extend the shelf life of packaged soup for Korean food company, Pulmuone.

SIPA Berchi of Veneto, Italy, manufacturer of stretch blow moulding machines for the production of PET bottles, has successfully installed a SIPA SincroBloc system for the Cargill Company in Spain which produces and packages edible oils. The machine will create lightweight PET bottles for its oil products brands such as Primadonna.

The efficiency of many packaging processes, like flow wrapping with flexible packaging or stacking/filling rigid, thermoformed or injection moulded packaging can be influenced by many parameters. Foremost amongst these is the molecular architecture of the polymer(s) used in the packaging material. This may be even more critical for recycled or reprocessed materials.

Dynamic Inspection recently supplied a Fortress four-lane metal detection system for inspecting frozen meat patties to an Australian manufacturer.

Rice, oats and, more recently, almonds are providing alternatives to soy in the dairy-free food market sector. In particular, almonds featured in a rising number of new product launches during 2010.

The latest packaging, processing and plastics technology will be on show at the AUSPACK PLUS 2011 ‘out of the box’ exhibition, 22-25 March 2011, 9 am - 4 pm daily, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Founded on sophisticated production intelligence software, a new breed of information-enabled energy management systems is taking on the carbon footprint challenge - while simultaneously improving production performance and the bottom line.

Peanut processor Nutco is Canada’s biggest supplier of organic peanut butter to the US and also supplies peanut butter in bulk to confectioners and bakers. The company specialises in packaging most of its production for sale under private labels.

The food producer Kraft has converted its decaffeination pumps in Bremen, Germany, to variable-speed operation.

Lupin seeds can be used to produce low-fat sausage products, allowing processors to replace animal raw ingredients with vegetable materials.

Owens-Illinois has released results of new consumer research that shows Australian consumers would seriously consider buying their milk in glass bottles if it was back on the shelves. The research commissioned by O-I and conducted by Ipsos Australia showed 50% of all white milk buyers and 51% of flavoured milk buyers found the concept of milk packaged in glass bottles appealing. The study also revealed 42% of white milk buyers and 28% of flavoured milk buyers believed milk would taste better in glass versus other packaging types.

The meat alternatives market is offering opportunities for canny food processors to expand their product ranges and appeal to a broader group of consumers.

US coffee manufacturer Apfells Fine Coffees has been able to boost productivity, improve set-up times and reduce its environmental impact with the installation of the tna robag vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) baggers. The systems, which bag coffee, cocoa and a range of other powders, have been integrated into Apfells’ existing production process to deliver high performance at low maintenance.

Multimodal PP from Borouge provides temperature resistance and balanced seal-peel properties to provide a venting feature for multilayer blown film intended for microwaveable food packaging.