FDBusiness.com

The Philippines is the latest country to grant a beverage patent to Radical Waters for its pioneering Electrochemically Activated Water (ECA) application for use as a substitute to chemicals during CIP for the global beverage industry.

This add to the portfolio of beverage patents granted to Radical Waters in the USA, China, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, Canada and South Africa, with numerous additional beverage patents pending in Brazil, Europe, Indonesia, India, Korea, and Malaysia.

Radical Waters expects these patents to be granted in the near future, further cementing its position as a preferred global ECA supplier in the beverage industry.

The beverage patent granted in the Philippines relates to the use of ECA in the manufacturing, processing, packaging and dispensing of beverages. In particular it refers to the use of ECA solutions during Cleaning-in-Place (CIP), a cleaning regime used in beverage facilities. This cleaning regime is standard and used during production when changing from one product to another or at specific times for hygiene reasons to eliminate the growth of harmful bacteria often present in water rich environments. CIP typically involves various cleaning and sanitising processes.

Previously, beverage manufacturers would use traditional chemicals at high temperatures to clean and sanitise to achieve similar results.

Traditional chemical CIP steps must be performed at high temperatures, and involve: a water rinse, followed by application of a detergent, followed by another water rinse, followed by application of a disinfectant, followed by a final water rinse, all of which require significantly more time, water and energy than cleaning with Radical Waters’ ECA solutions.

Replacing traditional chemical CIP with Radical Waters’ green ECA detergent and disinfectant solutions eliminates the need for high temperatures, and eliminates the rinse between the detergent and the disinfectant steps reducing cleaning to a 4 step process, which results in a considerable reduction in the loss of valuable production time. This time saving cleaning process also saves energy and water for the bottler, resulting in greater profits and a greener CIP process.

The Radical Waters patented methodology helps beverage plants achieve sustainability goals, protect product & human life and improve profitability by providing, amongst others, the following benefits:

• Increased production time due to less time having to be spent on CIP;
• Total microbial decontamination;
• Reduction or complete elimination of costly and harmful chemicals;
• Savings on energy, with a reduction or elimination of the need to heat chemicals resulting in significant energy savings;
• Elimination of pesticide contaminants;
• Significant water savings;
• Flavour and residue elimination

The application of Radical Waters ECA technology in one of the world’s leading brewery plants achieved the following cost savings: Water savings of 83%; Time reduction of 43%; Energy savings due to cleaning at ambient temperature of 98%; and Chemical cost savings of 99%.

In contrast to traditional chemicals, Radical Waters ECA water solutions are produced and applied at a neutral pH, i.e. neither too acidic nor too alkaline, which makes them completely safe when in contact with humans and as an effluent in the environment. The solutions can be used without any requirement for safety or protective gear.

Radical Waters International Ltd. was first granted a ground breaking beverage patent in the USA for water savings in Cleaning in Place (CIP) in bottling facilities in July, 2012.