Plastics for Breweries and Beverages

Plastics are a ubiquitous part of the brewery manufacturing process. Lightweight, cost-effective, durable, and versatile, plastic materials are generally easy to fabricate into the many shapes and sizes required for machinery, storage, and custom parts used throughout the brewing process. Many plastics used in breweries, such as PET, polypropylene, or HDPE, are resistant to chemicals and moisture and are safe for food contact - they won't leach toxins or chemicals into beverages.

Plastic materials for breweries fall under NAICS #311211, 311212, 336611, 311213, and 312120 as well as SIC #5181.

• [HDPE Datasheet]
• [Nylon Datasheet]
• [PET Datasheet]
• [Polypropylene Datasheet]
• [PVC Type 1 Datasheet]

HDPE and PET are the main plastic materials used for bottled beverages. PET is lightweight, shatterproof, and has excellent oxygen barrier properties that let PET preserve a drink's freshness and flavor. HDPE's great chemical resistance, light weight, durability, and general resistance to moisture make it another excellent material for bottling beverages.

Plastic fermenters are made from food grade or food safe plastics that include HDPE and PET. PET's transparency and light weight make it easy for brewers to check the status of the fermenting beverage and move it as necessary. HDPE, on the other hand, provides excellent chemical and moisture resistance along with good durability. These properties allow HDPE fermenters to better protect the beverage inside from moisture, odors, or gases. Plastic fermenters are often designed for single use or limited reuse due to the potential difficulty in sanitizing the fermenter.

PET plastic is considered safe for fermentation, but requires several considerations. While durable, PET does not have the same durability as steel or glass fermenters and is susceptible to scratches, which may allow bacteria to grow and contaminate the fermenting beverage. Cleaning and sanitizing PET fermenters before and after use is recommended to avoid potential bacteria growth. PET also deforms and/or becomes brittle at higher temperatures, which could cause structural issues with a PET fermenter if not used in PET's service temperature range.

Food grade plastics are plastics that are approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and deemed safe for food contact. They are used in food and beverage packaging, processing, manufacturing, and storage. Some food grade plastics are only considered safe for specific types of food. Food grade plastics include, but are not limited to, natural acetal, nylon, PEEK, HDPE, UHMW, polypropylene, PET, and PTFE.