published on 12/08/09
A US company that uses electron beams to sterilise aseptic packaging plans to use a $14m-cash-injection to develop new technology, increase sales and boost its finances.
Josh Epstein, director of marketing, said the company is also developing a new, smaller emitter, with a narrower nozzle that will fit inside beverage containers. The product is expected to be introduced in September with a team of contract engineers already in place to make any needed adjustments to the machinery.
CEO Mitch Tyson added: “No one has been able to do that up until this point.”
He said he hoped the cash infusion would get the cash-flow negative company to break even.
E-beams have been used for decades in the food and beverage sectors. They work by directing a shower of accelerated electrons through a high-voltage emitter towards a target. However, a number of developments in recent years suggests the technology is poised for substantial growth, said Epstein.
Another development is the growth of aseptic packaging, particularly in the beverage industry as demand “moves away from carbonated soft-drinks towards functional beverages, ready-to-drink teas and coffees and dairy-based drinks,” said Epstein.

E-beam technology offers a chemical-free alternative to conventional sterilisation, as well as delivering reduced energy costs, a smaller processing footprint and a cut in water consumption as it eliminates the need for rinse water.
AEB is working with 12 original equipment manufacturers at various design stages, as well as 50 customers - 19 of which are Fortune 1,000 companies, said the marketing director. Around 75 per cent of its clients are in the food and beverage industries, with the rest from the pharmaceutical sector. The company has shipped 200 of its e-beams worldwide, mainly in the United States, Europe and Japan.


Read the full article at Foodproductiondaily.com