The Benefits of Bag on Valve Spray in Food Production

Food producers are familiar with traditional aerosol spray cans used to deliver a variety of food products. Primarily, we see this method of dispensing food products when it comes to oils such as cooking sprays. Something new and different is emerging where aerosol filling is concerned, and it is called “bag on valve” spray. It is exciting, and it is about to significantly change the way the aerosol dispensing game is played.

Packaging Your Product is Nearly Half of Your Job

You get into food production for the sales. Sure, it may be a love of the craft, but ultimately you want as many people as is possible to love what you produce and repeatedly purchase more of it. Today, there is a new twist on the traditional aerosol packaging that is positioned to turn the market around in a big way.

Coming up with the next greatest food product to put on the market involves so much more than whipping something up in the kitchen. Anytime a product is released, it faces the first immediate challenge: Exposure to the public at large. By extension, your great food idea takes on the ensuing layers of complexity, not the least of which is liability, or third-party exposure.

However, this is the same group of people who will make your great food product take off in the market once the appeal for something new goes viral. That is all it takes, sometimes, for a marketer to potentially sink or swim, depending on the experience. Your packaging has to do more than provide the convenience of delivery. It must be safe both for the product and for the consumer.

The wrong packaging can result in a widespread negative result. A single incident could correlate a business with unfortunate circumstances such as illness or injury leaving a company looking at long term recovery. This is largely why packaging represents nearly 50 percent of the food market’s economy. Rather than reinvent the packaging yourself, this is a good moment in time to take a closer look at bag on valve aerosol filling for your food products.

Improving on Old Methods with New Technology

There is much about bag on valve spray technology that not only improves on the conventional aerosol spray delivery system, but it also provides major advantages for both the producers and the customers who are set to enjoy more convenience, more value and more fun in consuming these food products.

We are all familiar with the aerosol containers that have been in existence up to now. They have given us modern convenience to which everyone has had to adapt. For example, the spray can must be held at a certain angle to operate properly otherwise the contents and the can itself can freeze. The can must not be exposed to extreme conditions, such as high heat, or you risk explosion. As the propellant is used up, so is the usefulness of this manner of conveyance for numerous food products regardless of what might be left inside the can.

The innovative bag on valve spray changes all that. To start with, this bag on valve aerosol filling system is not as complicated as conventional aerosol spray packaging. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) all have regulations in place regarding the handling, storage, and transport of aerosol sprays due to their inherent volatility under certain circumstances.

For a quick view of what bag on valve spray technology provides, the benefits include:

• Efficiency – precision utilization lets you apply the contents precisely where you want it to be

• Conserves the product – since you only use what you need, this packaging conserves use for consumption

• Eliminates Waste – dispenses 99.5 percent of product contents

• Practical – bag on valve spray packaging is far more convenient than conventional aerosol

• Environmentally Friendly – the entire packaging device is recyclable

A Closer Look at Bag on Valve Aerosol Filling

Bag on valve aerosol filling, while called “aerosol,” is really considered a non-aerosol since there are no volatile compounds used as propellants. Nitrogen or compressed air is used instead. These eco-friendly propellants are non-flammable and therefore neither dangerous nor potentially explosive.

Traditional aerosol technology has represented a hazard both to consumers as well as companies that must contend with the liability issues. Records reveal the frequency of injury related to using aerosol cans. Bag on valve aerosol filling systems resolve this issue.

The food product is contained in a multi-layered bag that has a valve welded to it. This construction means the food product is hermetically sealed inside the bag. There are a number of advantages to this construction.

Primarily, bag on valve aerosol filling systems guarantee a fresh product that does not need added preservatives to stay that way. Both light and oxygen are prevented from contributing to the deterioration from the oxidation of perishables.

This level of protection is as yet to be seen with any other packaging method. A secondary advantage to keeping the product completely sealed is keeping it free from any contamination. Take any ketchup bottle for an example. This condiment is commonly used by just about everyone. If the bottle itself is not left filthy from residue, the cap eventually has a terrible time fitting back on properly to keep the contents exposure-free.

It is Not Possible to Contaminate the Contents

The bag on valve spray can needs no resealing in the sense that it is never unsealed. The mechanism dispenses the precise amount of foodstuff exactly where you want it to go. There is no risk of your dirty utensils double dipping from one condiment container to the next or getting anything else in it. Furthermore, the delivery system dispenses between 94 and 99 percent of the product. This is more than you could get out of a conventional aerosol spray can.

Food producers also find their risk of contamination in the packaging process is virtually eliminated since everything is sterilized. Products packaged using bag on valve aerosol filling are far more hygienic than conventional packaging methods. Eliminating the threat of viral or bacterial contamination is something to count on what with the frequency of product recalls there have been in recent years.

Bag on Valve Spray Eliminates Those Nasty Fluorocarbons

There is also no need to hold the can at a particular angle. With conventional aerosol sprays, the propellants must be maintained in the proper upright orientation. Otherwise, the fluorocarbon inside escapes as a liquid instead of a vapor. The liquid form quickly evaporates, and, in a sense, it begins to boil.

This heat is rapidly carried away from the liquid, thus the intense cooling, and both the can and whatever you are spraying appears to freeze. With bag on valve aerosol filling, the contents are not subject to the same effects as the fluorocarbon. You can choose to use the product at any angle since you get a full 360 degrees with the bag on valve spray can.

While there is no need for aerosol charging plants with bag on valve spray, it does require specialized equipment. Given all the benefits and advantages to bag on valve spray, this is something that is worth the expense to pursue.

The Bag on Valve Aerosol Filling System is More Effective

This new filling process works so well with both liquids and more viscous contents. It also gives you the choice of using the aerosol can or standard actuators. Whatever your product is, it needs to have sufficiently low viscosity in order for the contents to pass through the system. Aerosol technology has advanced to the point where more and different foodstuffs can be dispensed with this type of can.

Commonly used bag on valve spray products include:

• Liquid Seasonings

• Cooking oil

• Vegetable Pan Sprays

• EVOO and Grapeseed Oils

• Balsamic Vinegars

• Salad Dressings

• Mustard and Ketchup

• Whipped Cream

• Tea and Coffee Concentrates

• Jellies

• Puddings

• Toppings

• Chocolate Paste

• Cheeses

• Concentrated Food Flavors

• Sauces

• Instant Cookies and Muffins

• Churro Dough

• Pancake Batter

The bag on valve spray mechanism allows contents to be aerated as they are released, making it possible for products to have and hold a “whipped profile.” There are creative food producers coming up with ever more fascinating recipes such as a vodka-infused whipped topping.

Such products allow for the introduction of delicate blends of flavors and light textures to liven things up wherever and however they are used. Some applications are to top off drinks or enhance desserts. Some applications even dispense food products into cups and freeze them to eat later just like ice cream or popsicles. The fun is just beginning with this new bag on valve aerosol filling system technology.

Now Your Wine has All the Time in the World

Consumers are compelling the food industry since there is such appeal for bag on valve spray applications. One area of the market that is seriously moving on this packaging is the wine industry. It is a natural progression when considering the sealed bag on valve spray mechanism allows the contents to remain sealed. Bag on valve technology means you can dispense a glass of wine without the risk of exposing the remaining contents of the bag to oxygen and light, meaning your investment is preserved.

You may also choose to package your wine using newly created transparent aerosol packaging, which also contains a clear bag inside. This makes it possible to see precisely how much is left inside the container. These innovations have yet to hit the market, but rest assured, they are actively being worked on.

Recapping the Bag on Valve Aerosol Filling System

The bag on valve aerosol filling process has benefits that provide an improved user experience. The technology is simple yet dynamic. The bag on valve spray system contains a multi-layered pouch that is rolled up and welded to the aerosol valve. The can is charged with nitrogen or compressed air that fills the space between the pouch and the can. The aerosol valve is crimped into place making it a sealed part of the container. The food product is then forced through the valve stem, which fills the pouch. Lastly, the actuator is placed in position and capped.

The bag on valve spray system is available in either male or female aerosol valves. The bags are FDA-approved aluminum bags that may have up to four layers depending on the content requirements. Bag on valve spray systems are also available in a variety of sizes and capable of taking on a variety of shapes. Unique to this packaging system is how the propellant is kept completely separate from the contents. The bag on valve spray system is a system that is optimized for both oxygen-sensitive and sterile products.

While there is no need for aerosol charging plants with bag on valve technology, there are specialized equipment requirements for using this type of technology. Given all the benefits and advantages to bag on valve aerosol filling, this is something that is worth the expense to pursue.

The benefits of bag on valve technology are great, and as more and more products are adapted to this method of delivery, the market will realize greater expansion with this technology. It is significant to recognize both the environmental and safety advantages over the traditional aerosol sprays.

High on the list of benefits is customer satisfaction, but production and distribution are being given a green light without the old risks associated with the technology. With all the improvements and benefits, bag on valve aerosol spray filling technology is already a superior process that is creatively bringing this method of packaging to a whole new level. Perhaps it is time for you to consider how bag on valve aerosol filling can improve your food production efforts. Consider bag on valve technology in your next food packaging venture and discover something that is changing the world of food packaging technology for good.