Unique PET With UV Guard Protects Delicate Flavors And Ingredients In Beverages

Vitiva PET offers significant production benefits and ensures product and package integrity

Kingsport, TN - Bottled beverages are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light at many points in the supply chain. Studies show that UV exposure can degrade the delicate flavors, colors and vitamins commonly found in sports and energy drinks, fruit juices and fortified waters. To protect against these harmful rays, Eastman Chemical Company, the world's largest supplier of PET resins for packaging, offers Vitiva PET for clear packaging of beverages.

"Beverage companies make significant investments in developing the ideal balance of ingredients for their signature formulations," said Lavonna Buehrig, North American business market manager for polymers, Eastman. "Vitiva's FDA-approved UV absorber protects some of the most popular ingredients used in beverage formulations and is simply vital for product integrity."

Vitiva PET combines solid UV light protection with the optical clarity of PET. Vitiva contains a UV absorber bound directly to the polymer chain, offering significant production benefits that deliver consistent, quality packaging. Precisely because Vitiva's UV guard is not an additive, manufacturers do not have to worry about leaching, further ensuring product integrity.

Protect Taste, Look and Nutritional Value
Studies show that UV light can degrade citrus flavors such as citral and limonene, as well as aspartame. An off flavor or change in sweetness of a beverage on store shelves can jeopardize customer loyalty, eroding sales. Natural colorants such as carotenoids and anthocyanins, which give red, orange and yellow and blue pigments, can also degrade significantly with UV exposure.

Vitiva PET blocks virtually all UV light up to 370 nanometers. In-depth studies at Eastman on popular sports beverages and fruit juices show that colorants such as FD&C Red #40 and FD&C Blue #, begin to degrade after only a few hours in the sun or under a UV lamp. Vitamins C and, B6, among others, also show a considerable decrease in their efficacy after short UV exposure. Products with 370nm of UV protection, however, remained undamaged even after prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

"Any change in the product flavor or color can have a detrimental effect on sales and lessen customer loyalty," said Buehrig. "The 370nm protection offered by Vitiva is more than sufficient for most applications to safeguard contents in clear containers."

Gain Production Efficiencies
A drop-in replacement for standard PET, Vitiva PET requires no extra capital investment in machinery or tooling. The resin is capable of efficient blow-molding output rates and can accommodate 1-, 1.5- and 2-stage bottle production. The resin's UV inhibitor produces no plateout on molds or dryers.

"The fact that Vitiva's UV guard is integrated directly into the polymer differentiates it from similar products on the market," added Buehrig. "It makes safeguarding beverages a one-step manufacturing process, significantly reducing overall costs."

SOURCE: Eastman Chemical Company