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ANALYSIS
PACKAGING
INGREDIENTS
PROCESSING
T H E Q U A R T E R LY M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E F O O D A N D B E V E R A G E I N D U S T R I E S I N E U R O P E
Issue 3 Spring 2006
Thin walled
containers
the packaging of
choice
ISO 22000 a new
global standard for
food safety
Dietary fibre the
healthy approach
Revolutionising the
Multigrain Process
Biodegradable
plastics for the food
industry
packaging
Multilayer films
Such a multitude of requirements
cant be fulfilled with packaging
films based on a single polymer.
While such a polymer might be
appropriate in terms of fulfilling
one specific requirement it may
well possess other properties
which are disadvantageous and
unsuitable for the production of
food packaging. Therefore, the
food packaging industry requires
multilayer films to combine the
advantages of each single polymer
into one film and thus balance and
compensate for their individual
disadvantages.
Multilayer films can be produced
either by lamination or by coextrusion. In the lamination
process, two or more films are
bonded together using adhesives
to produce a composite film
structure. The co-extrusion
process combines several layers
of individual polymers into one film
so that they benefit from their
different chemical and mechanical
strengths. The combination of the
different polymer layers is variable
and will be done according to the
Graph 1
Vacuum packaging
In vacuum packaging all the
atmosphere inside the package is
evacuated in order to create a
vacuum. Vacuum packaging
improves the freshness of the
packed goods and increases their
shelf life by preventing
microbiological deterioration. It
also prevents the product from
shrinking or drying. Vacuum
packaged products maintain their
humidity, outward appearance and
aromas, and are not exposed to
oxygen.
Graph 1 shows the interaction a
vacuum packaged food product
will have with its environment and
which barrier properties the
packaging material has to
possess.
19
20
packaging
Graph 2
Modified atmosphere
packaging
Modified atmosphere packaging
improves the preservation of the
packed goods by replacing the
atmosphere that surrounds the
product in the package with a
modified atmosphere (a mixture of
inert gases). Within the package,
the modified atmosphere controls
the chemical, enzymatic and
microbiological reactions of the
product without significantly
changing its chemical structure.
Modified atmosphere packaging is
used for a wide range of products
such as meat, pasta and some
types of cheeses.
The modified atmosphere used for
food packaging is a combination
of three gases: oxygen (O2),
carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen
(N2). The combination of these
three depends on the goods to be
packed.
Nitrogen is an inert gas that is
soluble in water or other gases. It
substitutes the oxygen inside the
Graph 3
The barrier
property of a
multilayer film will
always be
influenced by the
thickness of the
polymer layers
Film production
technology
The permeability rates of water
vapour and oxygen are also
influenced by the film production
technology applied. Technologies
such as blending co-polymers,
changing the specific polymer
weight with additives, creating
crystalline structures and
orientating the film also have an
impact on the barrier properties of
the film. For example, the barrier
property of a bi-oriented PP film
against water vapour, oxygen and
nitrogen is twice as high as the
barrier property of an un-oriented
PP-film.
Other factors that must be taken
into consideration are that the
barrier properties of the packaging
material may change due to
thermal impacts during the
packaging process (e.g.
pasteurisation and sterilisation) or
be affected by other
environmental influences. For
packaging
EPS/EVOH/PE
PP/PA/PP
PP/EVOH/PP
PET/EVOH/PE
EPETBlend/EVOH/PE
PVC/EVOH/PE
PS/EVOH/PE
PS/EVOH/PE
PP/EVOH/PE
EPP/EVOH/PE
PP/PA/PE
APET/PETB/APET
PET
C-PET
PVC
PS/PE
PETBlend/PE
PP/PE
PC/APET/PC
PP
PS/PETG
PLA
22
temperature-resistant-polymers
often lack additional, required
properties, they have to be
combined with other polymers to
make them suitable for such food
packaging. PP, for example, has a
high level of heat resistance but a
low barrier property against
oxygen. The combination of PP
with an EVOH layer
(PP/EVOH/PP) can solve this
problem. In addition, many
products undergo pasteurisation
or sterilisation treatment during
the packaging process. The
packaging film must resist the
high temperatures it will have to
bear during this sequence.
About Klckner
Pentaplast
example, polymers which contain
-OH-groups (e.g. EVOH) become
softer when they absorb humidity.
Their diffusion and permeability
increases and the barrier property
of the film is thus reduced. Within
the broad range of barrier
polymers applied in the food
packaging industry only the
polymer PVdC shows barrier
properties that are not influenced
by humidity.
Temperature
The temperature of the packed
goods is also essential for both
good functioning of the packaging
as well as its barrier properties,
because the diffusion of oxygen
increases the higher the
temperature is. Therefore the
packaged food should be
uninterruptedly maintained at a
low temperature throughout the
chain.
Besides providing a barrier to
oxygen and water vapour, barrier
films applied for the production of
MAP packages must also fulfil
other requirements, such as, for
example:
Sealability: By sealing the tray
and top film hermetically we can
prevent any opening of the
package and preserve the
atmosphere within it throughout
the products shelf life. Polymers
With 24 production
sites in 13 countries
and approximately
3,900 employees, kp
generates revenues of
more than h1.1billion
Valeska Haux
Strategic Marketing & Communications
Klckner Pentaplast GmbH & Co AG
www.kpfilms.com