Highlights

Ciba is presenting revolutionary new OnVu™ new time-temperature indicators (TTIs), which show at a glance the freshness of perishable goods, at the stand it is sharing with Bizerba, no. B70/90 in hall 6.0, at the IFFA trade fair in Frankfurt/Main from May 5-10, 2007. New OnVu™ TTIs, designed for chilled products with shelf lives of up to 20 days, will be on show for the first time.

“The first OnVu™ TTIs, designed for meat, fish and convenience products with a shelf life of 5-6 days at 5°C, have attracted great interest and are currently being field-tested for the first time by major German retailers under hands-on conditions,” said Hermann Angerer, Global Head of Ciba’s Coating Effects Segment. ”The new generation of TTIs now allows us to offer freshness monitoring for enhanced confidence in self-service products with a shelf life of one week and more, e. g. processed meat such as sausage, dairy products, ready meals and other convenience foods.”

The most common causes of spoilage of chilled food and beverages are too high temperatures during storage and transport. OnVu™ TTIs allow producers, retailers and consumers to check at a glance whether perishable products have been correctly transported and stored, thus helping to enhance consumer convenience and confidence, strengthen the reputation of brands using them and optimize shelf life.

OnVu™ TTIs are currently supplied as labels and will in future also be available as printing inks for application straight on the package. TTIs can in principle be used for any product that is sensitive to temperature. They show clearly whether the chill chain has been maintained, by recording the effects on the product of temperature fluctuations over time. Every indicator is tailored to the specific shelf life and optimum storage conditions of the product it is designed to monitor. By providing essential information on chill-chain history, OnVu™ TTIs can also help to optimize shelf life, since suppliers and retailers will no longer need to discard products prematurely to cover for potential spoilage, caused, for example, by incorrect storage.

Developed jointly by Ciba and FreshPoint, OnVu™ TTI technology has been built into an integrated system by Bizerba, a complete solution from label printing to fully automated production, which combines in one step labeling, charging and UV filter application.

OnVu™ TTI technology relies on the properties of pigments that change color over time and if temperatures fluctuate. The label or printed display contains a reference color in addition to the OnVu™ TTI. Once activated by a suitable light source, the TTI first becomes dark and then grows progressively lighter as time passes and also if and when the ambient temperature rises. Exposure to higher temperatures than those prescribed, therefore, accelerates the lightening process of the color. When the activated color attains the same shade as the reference, the product has reached the end of its shelf life.

About Ciba Specialty Chemicals

Ciba Specialty Chemicals (SWX: CIBN, NYSE: CSB) is a leading global company dedicated to producing high-value effects for its customers’ products. We strive to be the partner of choice for our customers, offering them innovative products and one-stop expert service.  We create effects that improve the quality of life – adding performance, protection, color and strength to plastics, paper, automobiles, buildings, home and personal care products and much more. Ciba Specialty Chemicals is active in more than 120 countries around the world and is committed to be a leader in its chosen markets. In 2006, the Company’s continued operations generated sales of CHF 6.4 billion and invested CHF 270 million in R&D.

About FreshPoint

Founded in Switzerland in 2003 on the basis of research done by Professors Yoav Eichen and Dietrich Haarer, the company continues R&D work in labs in Israel and Germany. FreshPoint is active in innovation in the area of smart packaging and the first product to be commercialized is a novel pigment-based time-temperature indicator.

Late in 2004 FreshPoint and Ciba Specialty Chemicals signed an exclusive global agreement for the development, marketing and global sales of time-temperature indicators. OnVuTM is a result of this cooperation.

About Bizerba

Bizerba is a leading global company offering system solutions in the fields of weighing, information, communication and food service technology. Specific hardware and software and high-performance management systems ensure efficient control of integrated business and production processes in commerce, manufacturing and industry. With 2,660 employees, and subsidiaries in 20 and representatives in 71 countries, Bizerba GmbH & Co. KG achieved sales of about 377 million Euros in 2005. Headquartered in Balingen, the company has further production sites in Messkirch, Bochum and Shanghai.

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