Hot filling is an industrial technique that allows containers to be simultaneously filled and pasteurised with the liquid product at a high temperature. This technique eliminates the need for preservatives in your formulas. Find out more in our article.

The hot filling technique

What is it?

Hot filling, at JLB DEVELOPPEMENT, is a continuation of the pasteurisation process.

The product is heated to be pasteurised, then packaged at the same temperature.

This technique can be applied to nutraceutical drinks. It covers liquid products.

The product is heated to a given temperature and for a given time. The aim is to lower the microbial load and limit the proliferation of what remains.

Once the heat treatment has been carried out, the product is transferred while still hot, letting gravity do the work, into the container, usually a flask or bottle. This allows it to be pasteurised.

Once the container has been filled, it is sealed.

The ideal technique for avoiding preservatives

The biggest advantage of hot filling is that it eliminates the need for preservatives, without having to do the filling in an aseptic environment.

Hot filling makes it possible to protect the product from potential microbial agents present in the container and/or environment. Then, the product’s characteristics, such as an acidic pH level, will inhibit the remaining microbial load with no need for preservatives.

Hot filling is therefore part of a natural and clean label approach. Natural preservatives are rare and expensive. Most of those used in the food industry are synthetic. Avoiding their use therefore allows you to increase the naturalness of your products and avoid a whole range of processes with a high carbon footprint.

Consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of their consumption. They want more naturalness and a clean label when it comes to the products they buy. Offering them the answer to their needs is a significant selling point.

JLB Development, a specialist in hot filling

Thanks to its industrial quality, JLB Development has become an expert in the hot filling technique.

To minimise the bacterial load of its products, JLB Development performs the filling at the highest possible temperature. To do this, the manufacturer uses heat-resistant glass packaging.

However, while glass is recyclable, its weight is a disadvantage and it can be hazardous.

Therefore, JLB DEVELOPPEMENT is working on high temperature packaging in plastic. Together with its supplier, the manufacturer is developing a plastic bottle mould which complies with the regulations of its market and which allows hot filling at high temperatures without the bottle deforming.

This differentiates the hot filling practised by JLB Development from its competitors and makes it a reliable ally for the development of your liquid product.