Fruit juice is a rapidly growing segment of the beverage industry. Still, most of these juices are prone to oxidation, which results in vitamin loss and undesirable changes in taste and appearance. These unfavorable quality changes frequently occur during the juice’s processing, packaging, transportation, or storage.
This article discusses the popular juice packaging currently used in the juice market and provides a comprehensive and practical knowledge of various packaging materials and storage requirements. This article also discusses the evolution of fruit juice packaging.
Demand for fruit juice globally
Fruit juice consumption increases in emerging countries while decreasing in Western countries, owing to population growth and the rise of the middle class (Europe and North America).
According to a recent study, fruit juice sales have decreased in countries with the highest consumptions, except for China.
Despite being the market leader, the United States has seen a 2.6% drop in fruit juice consumption over the last three years, owing primarily to campaigns to limit the use of sugar in food and beverages. In China, fruit juice consumption has reached 7.7% in the last three years, and Brazil is expected to become one of the top ten countries for juice consumption globally.
The fruit juices market is globally stable
Despite starting from a low point, Latin America has seen a massive increase in juice consumption, with a growth rate of approximately 12 percent per year. Concurrently, other hotspots such as India, Indonesia, and Malesia are expanding.
Overall, the fruit juices market is globally stable, despite growth in developing countries and decline in developed countries.
The importance of juice packaging
Nowadays, hundreds of different brands on the market offer a product that is destined for the same consumers, so businesses must be smart when communicating a brand message that should be a unique product. Productive packaging solves these issues.
Effective juice packaging not only protects and preserves the juice but also attracts the attention of customers. It will communicate the type of fruit juice you intend to drink and the energy and strength of the juice’s properties and will persuade the consumer to purchase it.
It means that to stand out, brands must get creative with their fresh juice packaging. Fruit juice packaging must be able to express freshness and temptation, convey health and power, and be creative and unique so that consumers can appreciate what they’re taking the time to drink up. However, this also means that many juice bottles end up following the same branding and packaging formula.
Juice packaging protects and preserves the juice and attracts the attention of customers
One of a packaging system’s primary goals is to protect fruit juice during distribution and storage from microbial spoilage and chemical deterioration. The shelf life of food and beverages is when the product becomes unsafe, sensorial, or nutritionally unacceptable.
Keep in mind that the package is important for protecting the contents. It cannot improve fruit juice quality made from inferior raw materials or conceal quality degradation caused by inefficient processing. Product deterioration because of product-specific characteristics and storage conditions is unavoidable.
Popular types of materials for fruit juice packaging
What is the best packaging for juices and fruit-based beverages? Well, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution here. The best solution is determined by several factors, the most important of which are:
- Who are the targeted consumers, and where are they most likely to enjoy the drink
- What type of distribution system is in use
- How sensitive is the juice
There are four types of fruit juice packages based on the materials used: glass bottles, aluminum cans, paper-plastic composite materials, and paper carton packages.
Let us now examine and compare the most commonly used materials for fruit juice packaging, considering market evolution.
Glass bottle package
The glass bottle has a long history. It is less frequently used as more packages enter the market, but it remains one of the most popular packages.
Glass bottles have the following benefits: they are non-toxic, odorless, transparent, beautiful, have an excellent barrier, are airtight, are rich in raw materials, inexpensive, and easy to recycle. It is also heat, low temperature, pressure, and cleaning resistant. It is typically used for fruit tea, juice, beer, wine, and other beverages with stringent container requirements.
It has been and continues to be a premium material for fruit juice packaging, with specific advantages in terms of hygiene, freshness, and transparency. Another factor in its favor is environmental sustainability, as glass is completely recyclable. Fruit beverages in glass typically have a shelf life of one year or more. When packaging beverages in glass, the hot-filling method is typically used.
Glass bottle package is one of the most popular packages
Glass containers have some flaws: they are heavy, easy to break, have a high transportation cost, and are difficult to print. As a result, most commercial drinks no longer come in glass bottles.
Metal can packages
Metal packages are divided into two types: two-piece and three-piece. 2-piece metal can typically use an aluminum alloy sheet, which is used in the packaging of soda drinks. Three-piece metal cans are made of tinned steel sheets and packaged drinks that do not contain carbon dioxide gas.
Metal cans have an excellent barrier property, the ability to block air and light, extending the shelf life of beverages. Metal cans packages also have excellent mechanical properties. It is resistant to high temperatures, moisture, pressure, insect pests, and harmful substances.
Metal packages have two popular types
Besides, metal hands are hard to break. It is simple to use and fits into today’s lifestyle. It is beautifully decorated to increase sales and can be melted and recycled.
Metal packaging also has some disadvantages, including poor chemical stability and alkali resistance. The drinks would contaminate if the interior paint were of poor quality. It is necessary to upgrade technology, improve product quality, and solve the break and leakage problem.
Paper carton packages
Fruit and vegetable juice, milk, and soft drinks are typically packaged in paper containers. Papers, brick composite paper boxes, paper cups, and composite can be the different types.
Paper packages have the benefits of low cost, lightweight, easy transportation, and no metal dissolving or odor. Paper packages are easily recyclable, making them environmentally friendly. However, their pressure resistance and airtightness are lower than a glass bottle, a metal can, or a plastic container. Paper-packaged drinks cannot sterilize at high temperatures.
Paper cartons used to package fruit juice, milk, and soft drink
Paper packages have largely replaced glass bottles in the market, but pet bottles still affect them. Paper packages continue to play an important role in the beverage market, particularly in small-capacity packaging. 1-liter cartons of juice typically have a shelf life of one year. Smaller cartons have a shorter shelf life.
Plastic packages
Plastic packaging has a wide range of applications and a promising future. There are currently four types of plastics used in drink packaging.
PE
It is a synthetic resin with the highest production and consumption rates in the world. PE has three density degrees: high, middle, and low. High-density polyethylene has a high crystalline structure and high hardness, airtightness, mechanical strength, and chemical resistance. As a result, blow molding is frequently used to create bottles and hollow containers out of PE. PE is used to make a variety of composite materials because of its excellent heat-sealing performance.
PVC
It is divided into three types: hard, soft, and mushy. The stretch and blow method produces PVC bottles with uniform thickness and no stitches. It is suitable for cola and soda drinks. The PVC bottle produced by extrusion blow molding is only suitable for fruit juice and mineral water.
PP
In recent years, the transparent bottle has become a popular plastic packing material. The nucleating agent can improve the bottle’s transparency and make it resistant to heat sterilization.
PET
PET is the most widely used and most widely produced plastic container. The PET bottle produced using the two-axis extended blow molding method has a high level of transparency and glossiness, making it an excellent substitute for glass bottles. PET bottles outperform glass in terms of consumer appeal. PET bottles are not only unbreakable and lightweight, but they are also more visually appealing.
PET is the most widely used in the beverage industry
PET bottles are used in various tea drinks, fruit juices, and other beverages that require hot filling. These benefits give PET bottles a wide range of applications. PET bottles are an excellent solution because of their practicality, allowing them to stand out in manageability and robustness.
PET packaging has drawbacks as well. The gases may infiltrate the PET bottle, causing CO2 loss and destroying the taste of the drinks. Polyester materials have a higher level of activity than glass bottles. It may react chemically with beers. PET bottles are easily cut and split during transport, flushing, and filling.
Overall, fruit juice manufacturers have a wide range of packaging options. Before selecting one, they must gain a thorough understanding of their drink and various packaging systems. They’ll be able to make the greatest decision possible after that. Check out Tan Do Beverage’s line of popular bottles for juicing.
The development trend of fruit juice packaging
Currently, the drink market includes fruit juice, tea, bottled water, functional beverages, and carbonated beverages. There will be more low-sugar and sugar-free drinks and pure natural milk, and healthy drinks in the future. The more product categories there are, the more packages there are.
The more juice products there are on the market, the more types of packaging appear
Customers will prefer personalized, intelligent, and functional packages in the future. According to the statistics of the American market research firm Harris Interactive, customers prefer drink products that are easy to drink and store. A variety of packaging functions drive product sales. The market makes half of the packaging change decisions. The drinks are now more popular among customers because of the package changes. They prefer clean and convenient packages that save users time and work.
Drinks with a distinct flavor will catch the attention of customers and win them over. Many beverage manufacturers demand that the package supplier provide a distinct appearance on caps, bodies, materials, shapes, capacities, colors, etc. Plastic bottles will continue to be the most popular packaging. Small and multi-piece packages will become more popular.
Conclusion
Drink manufacturers and drink package suppliers will face opportunities and challenges as the drink market expands and drink categories diversify. As a result, the juice packaging design plays a very important role in the customer’s purchase decision.
Tan Do Beverage is a professional manufacturer and supplier of fruit juice production lines. We can provide a customized solution for each customer. Contact us right away.
