In today’s competitive food and beverage market, many companies are looking to reduce costs. One way to do this is to reduce the cost of packaging used in their production facilities. Even small savings on container costs can result in large overall savings because of the quantity of units processed. To accomplish this per-unit savings, containers are made more light weight by removing material.
However, with less material, the containers also are less structurally stable, which can lead to collapse when stacked, or improper labeling and packaging. In carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), the presence of carbon dioxide in the product provides internal pressure, making the package rigid and stable. Liquid nitrogen can be used in non-carbonated beverages such as bottled water, juice and teas to achieve the same effect but without adding the “bubbly” feel of carbonation, which might not be desired.