As said in my previous article I will describe here some new developments in specific applications for airless and bag-on-valve aerosols. To refresh the memory of my readers let me start with a short repeat about airless systems.
There are two main types of airless systems, but the most used is the piston airless system. A piston airless system uses a moulded piston in the bottle, to help push the product out of its package. Airless systems by design create a vacuum. The piston helps maintain that vacuum.
Recently the pouch airless system is getting popular, capturing a significant percentage of the airless market. A pouch system is made of a rigid bottle containing a soft pouch with an airless pump. When the product is expelled, the pouch shrinks so that there is no air intake inside the pouch.
Now a closer look at the Airless Paper Blow from Yonwoo, the Bag-On-Valves from Coster, the dual-chamber dispensing bottle from Gidea, and Eggs packaged in aerosol can.
The AirOPack from IPS Innovative Packaging
Although I already wrote about the AirOPack from IPS Innovative Packaging Solutions AG in Switzerland, in my article “DuPont Packaging Awards 2012 – Part 02” it is impossible to leave this development out of this overview. The AirOPack is a new, innovative technology to dispense fluids, high viscosity liquids and creams by using a patented pressure control device that relies on air instead of conventional hydrocarbon chemical propellants. This system can replace traditional aerosol products that are used today with conventional metal cans and chemical propellants.
This dispenser consists of a blow-moulded plastic container fitted with a compressed air chamber and a pressure control device to protect against pressure drop, improve ease of use and ensure the maximum amount of product can be extracted from the container.
To read about the AirOPack go to my previous article.
The Bag-On-Valves from Coster
Once considered a niche market, Bag-On-Valves (BOVs) are becoming increasingly popular for cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. With the BOV technology, formulations can be dispensed in any form (liquid, gel, cream or highly-viscous substances) and in any position (inverted or upright).
BOVs preserve the product from external contamination and keep it perfectly separated from the propellant (the product is contained inside the bag and the propellant remains outside the bag, inside the can). Moreover, there is no need to add any preservatives as the content is completely sealed from any possible contact with the air. They are also environment-friendly as they can be used in combination with compressed air or with liquefied propellants.
Other BOV features include: the use of either standard aluminium cans or tin plate cans, filling through the valve and the fact that the content is completely evacuated from the container.
The Airless Paper Blow from Yonwoo
Paper Blow is Yonwoo’s eco-friendly 100ml airless pack that conforms to the four Rs, according to the company’s earth-friendly philosophy: Refill, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
Provided by Quadpack, the Paper Blow features an overcap and outer bottle made of recycled PCR paperboard, fitted around a tube-like PE pouch attached to a 0.50cc airless pump with a ring neck for easy filling. These are blow inserted into the cardboard bottle using surface friction, for an extra-tight fit. The pump system is the same as an airless tube – the PE pouch collapses in on itself as the formula is used up, preventing air re-entry.
The PCR outer sheath means that no secondary packaging is necessary, reducing the overall materials used. Paper Blow is refillable and for decoration offset printing is available (up to eight colours) using thin paper, which can be laminated before being labelled onto the outer bottle and cap.
The Dual-Chamber Dispensing Bottle from Gidea
While multi-phase solutions have become fairly common, they are often packaged in separate containers even though the products they contain are to be used consecutively or in tandem.
As an alternative Chinese converter Gidea Packaging Co Ltd released a packaging concept that addresses this issue in one container. Gidea’s solution is its dual-chamber dispensing bottle, a concept where the container is split into two distinct reservoirs with complementary dispensing pumps that can be used individually or simultaneously, depending on how the products contained are to be applied.
The bottle is an airless container, small and light, while the company claims that it dispenses evenly from first use through last. The dual bottle is composed of hard ABS with a clear and sterile PP lining to ensure full product compatibility.
Eggs in aerosol can from Lindal
Polenghi-Coltivia launches eggs in an aerosol can. The product is available in a 300 gram aerosol can (equivalent to six eggs) equipped with a ‘cream dispenser’ (the same as the one used for cans of whipped cream). The advanced aerosol technology from the Lindal Group (www.lindalgroup.com) dispenses the eggs as a mousse-like substance; they then quickly reduce to the aspect of an ordinary egg.
The recyclable aluminium aerosol can be kept for several months at room temperature.
The food itself is separated from the propellant and protected from light and air, thus enhancing hygienic appeal. Further, aerosol foods are designed for precise, efficient dosage. The consumer only uses what is needed, when it is needed. There is no waste and value is a huge consumer driver these days.
At the last edition of Aerosol Forum Dispensing, Oriex re-proposed the Paris aerosol restaurant. These are mostly ingredients complementary to the preparation of other dishes, packed in a way that keeps them wholesome and healthy thereby also facilitating the dispensing and dosing of the same. The range of Polenghi products, ranging from fresh eggs (whole ones for omelettes, whipped egg whites and in the formula for browning baked cakes) to chocolate mousse, going by way of vegetable “film” for preserving gastronomic specialties (acting as an alternative to gelatine) and anti-stick solutions to avoid cakes sticking to the mould.
