Anuga FoodTec, Europe's largest food processing and packaging technologies exhibition, is boasting an eye-popping array of new bottles, cartons, fillers, conveyors, inspection equipment and a wealth of other items of interest to professionals in the business of getting edibles to retail shelves. with more than 1,200 companies exhibiting at the 2012 and approximately 40,000 attendees expected to flow through the Kölnmesse exhibition hall, this show is expected to be the largest in the event's history. Highlights include:

Tetra Pak: The Tetra Top package is a shot-size container(100 mL) that marries a carton, topped off with a PE closure (designed to be easy to open, even with a single hand); the top can be removed from the bottom for ease of recycling.

Sidel: On the materials side of things, the company is exhibiting the Stack n Pack, a PET bottle configuration that enables one layer of bottles to be stacked on top of another--the bottom of one bottle is shaped so that it fits snugly and securely on top of the bottles below. The design reportedly allows for reduction in the amount of secondary materials required to transport and stock items, fitting more product on a pallet (and, consequently, on a truck) and greater pallet stability. The company also is showing its newest preform decontamination unit, the Combi Predis/Capdis FMa, designed for the aseptic blowing, filling and capping of sensitive products in PET bottles. Sidel reports 60 of the units have been sold worldwide, producing an estimated 5 billion bottles, saving 600 million L of water and reducing chemical consumption by 1 million L.

Robotik-Pack-Line: Company representatives unveiled a meat processing line that permits automatic handling of larger cuts of meat previously made possible with other robotic systems. The line is said to handle sizable portions of beef, poultry, pork and other meats safely, cleanly and efficiently.

Food Radar: The FRP-2 inspection system is designed to detect low-density foreign bodies in pumpable food lines (i.e. fruit products, soups, yogurt, and other soft products). By working to detect the presence of low-density foreign bodies, the system can be used to detect wood, rubber, fruit pits and other undesirable materials.

Krones: This company is debuting a number of additions to its line of valves for the food and beverage industries. The Evogard valve series for asepic applications includes a number of products designed to offer a high degree of food safety and efficiency, enduring exposure to the toughest food materials, including highly acidic juices. Choose from a single-piece version, with a seal made of PTFE compound; and a two-piece threaded version, with a seal made of EPDM/FDA or FKM HF.

OptiPack: The Sleeve-Like-Print Pot enables packaging professionals to marry a plastic cup with a label that looks and performs much like a shrink sleeve. According to the company, the product (suitable for a range of products, such as yogurt and fruit) offers a significant reduction in overall pack weight and materials consumption. The matte-finish label has been launched; the gloss-finish product will be available in January 2013.

GEA: The company presented its One TS homogenizers, geared toward small- and medium-size processing operations. The Homogenizers come in a range of configurations, with different flow rates and pressures. The machines reportedly are suitable for flavored milk, cream, yogurt drinks, dressings, soy milk and other products.
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