Claranor Pulsed Light Packaging Sterilization

Claranor is a French manufacturer of pulsed light and UV decontamination equipment, created in October 2004 by Francois Cazalas and based in Avignon. It gives food and beverage producers a way to sterilise packaging without chemicals, water or heat, replacing hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid or steam on filling lines.

Its units fire intense flashes of light lasting about 0.3 milliseconds at around 1 megawatt of power, destroying surface microorganisms on caps, closures, cups, lids, cans, films and pouches with a 3 to 5 log reduction. Compact modules can be retrofitted to existing lines or supplied to equipment makers as OEM kits, and a laboratory machine is available for tests. Around 700 machines run in 63 countries for some 200 industrial clients and 50 equipment manufacturers, the first being Nestle Waters Contrex in 2006.

• Bottle solution: decontaminates caps, closures, aluminium lids, crowns and preform necks.
• Cup solution: treats cups, trays, single-serve packs, buckets and lids, with a unit of 650 x 320 x 280 mm.
• Metal and aluminium packs: decontaminates cans and can ends for liquids and powdered milk.
• Flexible packaging: treats film, sticks, pillow bags and form-fill-seal pouches.
• Big containers and bags: covers 5-gallon bottles, pails, bag-in-box and 25 kg bags.
• OEM kit and lab machine: integration kits for line builders and a static unit for product testing.

• Vietnamese bottled water and soft drink plants decontaminating caps without chemical rinsing.
• Dairy and yoghurt producers sterilising cups and lids before filling to extend shelf life.
• Powdered milk and nutrition producers treating cans, can ends and stick packs.

• Low operating cost: about 20 euros per million caps, based on one lamp treating 50 million 28 mm caps.
• No chemicals or water: dry, heat-free decontamination preserves packaging integrity and removes chemical residues.
• High speed: bottled water lines reach up to 100,000 bottles per hour.
• Low energy: 1.5 kW is enough to decontaminate 90,000 caps per hour.

Dairy, beverage and bottled water producers want longer shelf life and clean-label products while cutting chemical, water and energy use on filling lines. Rapid growth of bottled water, dairy and ready-to-drink beverages in Southeast Asia increases demand for compact packaging decontamination that fits existing lines.

Founded in October 2004 by Francois Cazalas; headquartered in Avignon, France, with about 45 staff and 14 patents. Investors include South Region Investment and CAP Developpement. Labelled by the Solar Impulse Foundation, PERIFEM Award 2023, EcoVadis Bronze in 2026. Distributors in China and India.