'''Aseptic processing''' is the process by which a sterile ([[aseptic]]) product (typically [[food]] or pharmaceutical) is packaged in a sterile container in a way that maintains [[Asepsis|sterility]]. [[File:Yoohoo-boxes.jpg|thumb|right|Drink boxes]] Sterility is achieved with a flash-heating process (temperature between 195° and 295 °F (91° to 146 °C)),<ref name=APCQ&A>Aseptic Packaging Council. [http://www.aseptic.org/faq.html Carton Council Questions & Answers].</ref> which retains more nutrients and uses less energy than conventional sterilization techniques such as [[retort]] or hot-fill [[canning]]. Pharmaceutical Sterile processing includes use of clean rooms, bacteria retaining filters, dry or steam heat. Aseptic [[food preservation]] methods allow [[food processing|processed food]] to keep for long periods of time without [[preservative]]s, as long as they are not opened. The aseptic packages are typically a mix of [[paper]] (70%), [[polyethylene]] (LDPE) (24%), and [[aluminum]] (6%), with a tight polyethylene inside layer.<ref name=APCQ&A/> Sterile pharmaceuticals are usually packaged in plastic or glass. Together these materials form a tight seal against microbiological organisms, contaminants, and degradation, eliminating the need for [[refrigeration]].
The first aseptic filling plant for [[milk]] was presented in [[Switzerland]] in 1961. The [[Tetra Pak]] company later became one of the leading suppliers of processing and packaging equipment for [[dairy|dairies]]. Aseptic techniques were common in Europe and Asia before they were introduced in the United States in the 1980s.
