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Safe venting for safety plus sustainability

Unnoticed fermentation in a bottle can, in the worst case, lead to injury to the consumer due to a pressure build-up of up to five bar when opening. Cap manufacturer Bericap has now developed a solution to this problem: „Safe Venting“ technology.

If a beverage starts to ferment and increased internal pressure builds up in the bottle, this can be unpleasant or even dangerous when it is opened again. A new 38-millimetre cap from Bericap for milk and juice drinks solves this problem with innovative venting technology.

Who hasn't experienced this? It happens in a bottle of fruit milk or juice when it is resealed after the first consumption and then stored without refrigeration and under the influence of light: The drink starts to ferment and pressure builds up in the bottle, which can be dangerous if you open the bottle again. During this unintentional fermentation, up to five bar of internal pressure can build up in closures without venting. If the bottle is then opened, the drink foams up, the lid shoots up and potentially injures the consumer. That would be fatal, also for the brand's image. Cap manufacturer Bericap has now developed a solution to this problem.

Patented venting technology

The manufacturer's new 3438 closure features the patented „Safe Venting“ technology, which reduces the pressure inside the bottle to a safe level of one to two bar. At the same time, a double seal prevents liquid from entering or escaping. This makes the closure very safe for practical use. When a critical value of around two bar is reached, the pressure created by the uncontrolled fermentation in the bottle is released through a venting slot. This groove in the closure therefore takes on the function of a safety valve: it closes again immediately after depressurisation.

The innovative closure regulates the internal pressure in the bottle and prevents the lid from „blowing up“ and the drink from foaming over when it is reopened. (Image: Bericap)

Tests carried out by the company on this new development in comparison with conventional 38-millimetre closures delivered the following results: a reduction in the internal pressure in 0.5-litre bottles from 3.6 to 2.0 bar and in 1.5-litre bottles from 4.0 to 1.6 bar. Uncontrolled foaming is prevented.

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Pioneer for tethered caps

The new 3438 is also available in Germany as a standard safety cap or as a tethered cap under the name „ClipAside“. This means that customers already have the option of selecting a customised closure solution for each product. The ClipAside closures meet the requirements of the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive from 2019, which stipulates that closures on single-use beverage containers with a volume of up to three litres must remain attached to the bottle after opening until disposal. The aim is to reduce plastic waste. Therefore, all affected beverage manufacturers must have converted their products to tethered caps by July 2024 at the latest.

A venting slot in the closure acts as a safety valve. (Image: Bericap)

Thanks to the ClipAside solution, manufacturers can prepare for the new legal requirements at an early stage. Bericap's favoured concept of cut TE straps enables maximum flexibility: Customers can already convert their filling lines to a closure that will fulfil the tethered caps requirements in future. The conversion of the cutting geometry from standard TE to tethered belt is determined by the customer himself as soon as all preparations for a market launch have been completed. It is then no longer necessary to adapt the filling systems. This flexibility speeds up the changeover process.

http://www.bericap.com

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