Canned mango pulp is filled into lacquered tin cans and heat-treated so it keeps at room temperature. Aseptic mango pulp is sterilised and cooled first, then filled into pre-sterilised bags, usually inside steel drums or bins.
Both keep without refrigeration when sealed. The difference is in pack size, flavour, cost of packaging and who uses them. Canned pulp suits retail and food service. Aseptic pulp suits factories that use large volumes.
How canned pulp is made
Hot pulp is filled into cans, which are sealed and then cooled. The heat treatment is set so that spoilage organisms are controlled for an acidic product like mango. Common sizes range from small retail cans to larger catering cans of a few kilograms.
Because the pulp is heated in the can, cooling takes time, and the heat can soften the fresh mango flavour and darken the colour slightly. Cans are strong, stack well and need no special handling at the buyer's end.
How aseptic pulp is made
The pulp is sterilised in a continuous heat exchanger, held for a set time, then cooled quickly. It is filled under sterile conditions into multi-layer bags that have been sterilised beforehand. The bags usually sit inside steel drums of around 200 kg or more, though pack sizes vary by plant.
Fast heating and cooling tend to keep more fresh flavour and colour than in-can heating. The trade-off is that an aseptic bag is less forgiving. A pinhole or poor seal lets in air and organisms, and the whole bag can spoil.
Side by side
- Users: canned for retail, ethnic grocery and food service; aseptic for juice, dairy and food factories.
- Pack size: canned from small cans to catering sizes; aseptic in large drums or bins.
- Flavour and colour: aseptic usually closer to fresh pulp; canned slightly more cooked.
- Packaging cost per kg: cans usually cost more per kg of pulp; aseptic bags and drums are cheaper per kg for large volumes.
- Handling: cans are robust; aseptic drums need careful handling to avoid bag damage.
- After opening: both must be used quickly or refrigerated. An opened aseptic bag needs a plan for using a large volume.
Choosing between them
If you pack retail cans under your own brand or sell to restaurants, canned is the natural choice. If you are a manufacturer feeding a production line, aseptic drums are usually more practical and cheaper per kg. Some buyers also use frozen pulp, which needs a cold chain throughout.
Whatever you choose, ask for the plant's process records and incubation results. Spoilage problems in both formats are covered in what causes swelling or spoilage in canned mango pulp. Storage life is compared in the shelf life of canned and aseptic mango pulp.
How Creston & Co handles this
We find plants that pack the format you need and check their sealing, sterilisation and incubation controls on site. Before loading, our inspectors check cans for dents and seams, or drums for bag damage, and supervise how the container is stowed. Ask for a free sourcing review.