Liquid Egg: From Bag-in-box to Gable Top packaging

Today many producers of liquid egg packaged using bag-in-box solutions or large-format plastic bottles are willing to break into the market, driven by new business opportunities.

Although this may prove to be quite a big challenge, especially for businesses that don’t sell own-brand products, it offers the possibility to achieve very high margins while considerably differentiating products.

In this article we will share some useful information on what using Gable Top for liquid egg means, in order to help producers become more familiar with this type of packaging and make conscious decisions.

Gable Top is the perfect solution for those manufacturers who want to launch an own-brand product such as packaged liquid egg.

Engineered to be high-quality yet natural and eco-friendly, Gable Top ranks amongst high-end packaging solutions. Additionally, the printing area is three times as large as traditional labels thus ensuring maximum brand visibility on the shelf.

The filling machine for liquid egg products requires a low-impact initial investment, as its cost is easily written off thanks to the reduced price of Gable Top. As a matter of fact, Gable Top requires an overall investment similar to the one required by other solutions such as plastic bottles but with the benefits of an eco-friendly and sustainable packaging.

A further great advantage of Gable Top cartons is that they keep the food fresh and preserve its taste and properties thanks to their lightproof and airproof materials and a convenient tap closing.

Folded Gable Top cartons are lightweight and flat, thus taking up minimal space in the warehouse and considerably reducing transport expenses for more streamlined logistic processes.

The format for launching own-brand Gable Top-packed liquid egg should be chosen taking into account the distribution channel through which it will be marketed.

The food service (represented, for instance, by small and medium pasta factories and pastry makers) is the easiest way to break into the market with own-brand products. The most in-demand formats, both for whole eggs and for egg whites and yolks, are 2-kilos or 1-kilo cartons without screw cap.

For large-scale retail trade the most commonly used format for Gable Top liquid egg is half a litre, whereas the 250-gr version with screw cap is basically used for premium products such as organic food or spicy egg whites.
Egg whites packed in 250-gr cartons are an interesting market opportunity, as they specifically address the needs of sportspeople.

As for paper, the most employed solution is the so called barrier paper, whereas sweetened or salted egg is packed using aluminium foil which ensures a longer shelf life.

Unlike bag-in-box or plastic bottle liquid egg packaging machines, the Gable Top solutions are completely automatic.

Moreover, by using just a single filler it is possible to manage many different formats, either with or without screw cap, switching from one format to another in instants.
As a consequence, manufacturers can start marketing their products using one format only, while still being able to add more at any time, according to the clients’ requests and needs.
For instance, the screw cap applicator may be added later on as a machine upgrade.

Galdi boasts a decade-long experience in the liquid egg industry and is the manufacturer that has installed the highest number of Gable Top filling machines worldwide.

For ESL products and vulnerable foods like liquid egg, Galdi has conceived a specific configuration named Ultra Clean with the purpose of minimising contamination risks and enhancing filling performances against the viscosity of products.

We are glad to offer our know-how and expertise to liquid egg producers and help them make crucial decisions to achieve their business goals, while budgeting and meeting the required hygiene standards. This includes:

• Technical information: machine working sequences, filling speed (for egg whites, yolks, whole eggs), filler sizes and advice on machine layout, compressed air and power consumptions, product sanitisation

• Information on Gable Top cartons: carton treatment, selection of the type of paper, manufacturing best practices

• Packaging Supplier: we put the clients in touch with the packaging supplier of the local area that can best meet their requests, according to the type of carton selected

• Process partnership: we actively collaborate with all the partners involved in the process lines

• End of line: we provide advice on the best equipment for secondary packaging