Verein Deutscher Ingenieure

Hygienic requirements for the production and aseptically filling of beverage products - Principles and design criteria
 N VDI 4066 BLATT 1

Annotation

This guideline applies to aseptic filling plants and their peripherals designed for filling and sealing commercially sterile beverages and milk-based drinks in packaging which has been pre-sterilised or which has been formed and sterilised in the filling plant in a manner which prevents recontamination as per Section 5. This includes:

- fruit juices and fruit-juice drinks

- flavoured waters

- milk-based drinks

- energy and sport drinks

- tea-based drinks

- concentrates and syrups

- beer-based mixed drinks and alcohol-free beerbased mixed drinks (optional)

This guideline additionally applies to all associated machinery and equipment, as well as the filling plant environment.

Aseptic filling plants for pharmaceuticals are not covered by this guideline because concepts and requirements within the pharmaceutical industry differ from those of the food and drinks industry. Please refer to guideline VDI 4066 Part 4 (in preparation) for guidance on the filling and packaging of dairy products.

All guarantees of performance within the sterile zone must be based on verifiable factors. Minimum hygiene requirements for the sterile zone of a filling plant must be defined in order to separate aseptic machines from other filling equipment.

The sterile zone includes all system components which come into direct or indirect contact with sterile product or sterile packaging.