FOOD PACKAGING

Introduction
 Food packaging- essential and pervasive

- Essential- without packaging; safety and quality of food- compromised,

Prevention of waste at various stages involved in Food production process
- Pervasive- Limited unpackaged foods
 Helps to protect food from contamination and spoilage

 easier to transport and store foods

 provides uniform measurement of contents

 Increases market value – advertising

 Large scale distribution

 Convenience- food packages with dispensing caps, reclosable openings

Definition of Food Packaging

 A co-ordinated system of preparing goods (foods) for transport,

distribution, storage, retailing and end-use.

 A means of ensuring safety delivery to the ultimate consumer in sound

condition @ minimum overall cost.

 A techno-economic function aimed at minimizing costs of delivery

with maximizing sales.

 Packaging – part of marketing process- defined as “Identification,

anticipation and satisfaction of customer need profitably”

 Packaging can also be described as “complex, dynamic process-

“constantly changing”.
Marketing process and Package cycle
 NEED FOR PACKAGING
 Efficient packaging –necessary- link between food producer and consumer (if
not properly performed- product will lose its market value).

 Basic needs:

-> Containment & Food waste reduction

-> Protection & Preservation

-> Marketing and Information

-> Traceability- ability to follow the movement of food thro’ specified stages of
production, processing and distribution- incorporation of unique codes on to the
package labels allows them to track the products thro’ out the distribution process.

-> Convenience – ease of access and handling, product visibility, reseal ability,
boil in packs, microwavable packages- play an important role in minimizing the effort
necessary to prepare and serve.
-> Tamper Indication

Banding -

Break away closures

Special printings on bottle liners/ composite cans and holograms – can

irreversibly change-
Primary :
the material that first envelops the product and holds it. This usually is
the smallest unit of distribution or use and is the package which is in
direct contact with the contents.
Secondary:
outside the primary packaging – perhaps used to group primary
packages together.
Tertiary:
Tertiary packaging combines all of the secondary packages into one
pallet
Primary

Secondary

Tertiary
Materials used in food packaging
 Package design and construction- play an important role in

extending the shelf life of foods.

 Right selection of packaging materials and technologies-

maintains product quality during distribution and storage.

 Materials- traditionally used includes- glass, metals (aluminum

foils, and laminates, tinplate, tin free steel), paper/paperboards,

and plastics.

 Wide variety of plastics have been introduced in flexible and

rigid forms.

 Presently- food packaging often combine several materials to

increase its functional property.

 GLASS
 Made from- silica, sodium carbonate, calcium

carbonate and alumina.

 Glass containers used in food packaging- used

with surface coatings- to provide lubrication, to

eliminate scratching and also to increase the

strength (to reduce breakage).

 Improved break resistance- allow to manufacture

thin glasses (can reduce weight and better for

transportation).

 Coating materials used in glasses - ??????

 Advantages:
-> Properties of glass- odorless and chemically inert with almost all the
food products, impermeable to gases and vapor- maintains the freshness
of the product for longer time.
-> Ability to withstand high processing temperatures- makes glasses
useful for heat sterilization.
-> Transparency of glass- allows consumers to see the product that’s
been packed.
-> Variations in colour- protect the light sensitive compounds.
-> finally benefits environment “ reusable and recyclable”.
Disadvantages:
-> Despite of its use as thinner glass- its heavy weight on comparing to
other packaging material- adds up to the transportation cost.
-> Brittleness
-> Susceptibility to breakage from internal pressure, impact/ thermal
shock.
 METAL
 Provides Combination of

excellent physical protection and barrier properties

Formability

Decorative potential

Recyclability

• Two main metals used in packaging- aluminum and steel.

Aluminium:

Commonly used to make cans, foil, and laminated paper

Light weight, silvery white metal derived from bauxite ore

(exists in combination with oxygen as alumina.
 Magnesium and Manganese- added to aluminum to improve its strength

properties.

Advantages:

 Highly resistant to most forms of corrosion.

 Its natural coating of alumina oxide- provides highly effective barrier against

air, temperature, moisture and chemical attack, light.

 In addition to its barrier properties also has good flexibility, excellent

malleability and formability, and outstanding embossing potential.

 Ideal material for recycling.

 Pure aluminum- can be used for – light packaging of soft drink cans, pet
foods, sea foods, and pre threaded closures.

 Disadvantages of aluminum:

High cost comparing to other metals and Its inability to be welded –

renders it useful only for making seamless containers.
Aluminum foil

 made by rolling pure aluminum metal into very thin sheets- followed
by annealing to achieve dead- fold properties- allows it to be folded
tightly.
 available in wide range of thickness- thinner foils- used to wrap food
and thicker foils- used as trays.
 Like aluminum- foil also provides an excellent barrier against air,
moisture, odors, light and microorganism.
 Inert to acidic foods- does not require any lacquers.
 though Aluminum is recyclable- foils cannot be made from recycled
aluminum without pin hole formation in thin sheets.
 Laminates and metalized films
 Lamination- binding of aluminum foil to paper or plastic film- to
improve barrier properties, to improve sealability and printable
properties.
 Aluminum foil laminated with plastics- ensures heat seal ability- seal
does not completely bar moisture and air.
 Laminated aluminum- expensive – used for packing of high value
foods- dried soups, herbs and spices.
 Alternative to laminates- Metallized films.
 Metallized films- plastics containing thin coating of aluminum metal.
 films- have improved barrier properties to moisture, oils,air and order,
and highly reflective surface of aluminum – attractive to customers.
 more flexible than laminated films.
 mainly used for packaging of snacks.
 TIN PLATES

 Produced fromlow carbon steel (base plate).

 involves coating of thin layer coating of tin on both
the sides of base plate.
 Coating – achieved by two methods—
- hot dipped tin plate- involves dipping the
sheets of steel in molten tin.
- Electrolytic tin plate- electro deposition of tin
on base plate.
 Though tin provides steel- corrosion resistance- often
lacquered to provide inert barrier bt metal and food
product.
 Advantages:

- In addition to barrier against gases, water, light, and orders-

can be heat treated and sealed hermetically- making it
suitable for sterile products.

- Good ductility and formability- made of containers of any

shape.

- widely used to form cans for drinks, processed foods,

powdered foods, etc..

- Excellent substrate for modern metal coating, printing and

graphical decorations.

- Low weight and high mechanical strength – makes it easy

to ship and store.

- Easily recycled many times without loss of quality

- low in cost than aluminum.

 Tin-Free steel

 Also known as electrolytic chromium or chrome

oxide coated steel (ECCS)- requires coating of
organic material (lacquers)- to provide complete
corrosion resistance.
 Metallized surface – excellent for adhesion of
coatings – prints, lacquers and inks.
 also has good formability and strength- less
expensive than tin plate.
 used to make can ends, trays, bottles caps, and
closures.
 also used to make large containers for bulk storage
of ingredients.
 Plastics
 Plastics- made by condensation polymerization (poly condensation)/ addition
condensation (poly addition) of monomer units.
 poly condensation- condensation rxn bt two monomers- forming by
products- water and methanol- involves monomers with at least two
functional groups- alcohol and amine and carboxylic acid groups.
 Poly addition- two or more molecules combine to form a larger molecule
without liberation of by-products.
 plastics- made into sheets, shapes and structures.
 inexpensive, light weight, heat sealable, easy to print.
 major disadvantage of plastics- permeability to light, gases, vapors and low
molecular weight molecules.
 2 major categories- thermosets and thermoplastics.

 Thermosets- polymers that solidify or set irreversibly when heated and cannot be remolded- because strong and durable.

 not used in food packaging applications.

 Thermoplastics- polymers that soften on exposure to heat and return to original condition at room temperature.

 easy molded- used in bottles, jugs and plastic films.

 All thermoplastics- recyclable.

 some health concerns regarding residual monomer and components in plastics- bisphenol A- high intake levels.

 FDA – reviews and regulates substance used to make plastics and other packaging materials.

 Any substances that can reasonably migrate into the food- classified as indirect food additive- subjected to FDA
regulations.

 A threshold of regulation- defined as specific level of dietary exposure that typically induces toxic effects and poses
negligible safety concerns- may be used to exempt the substances used in food contact material from regulation as food
additives.

 FDA advises consumers to use plastics for intended purpose in accordance with manufacturers directions to avoid
unintentional safety concerns.

 Despite all safety concerns- use of plastics in food industry continues- due to- low cost- thermosealability,
microwavability, unlimited sizes and shapes over traditional glass and tin plate.
Food package design and
development
 Marketing pull- prerequisite for successful innovation in packaging material, forms, designs or
process.

 Most successful new product development – those implemented as “total product concept’-
with packaging forming integral part of the whole.

Packaging design and development frame work

- Product needs

- Distribution needs and wants

- Packaging materials, machinery and production processes
- Consumer needs and wants.

- Market needs and wants

- Environmental performance
 Product needs

 Total product concept- includes both product and its package.

 Requires thorough understanding of products characteristics

- Intrinsic mechanism involved in deterioration.
- Fragility in distribution
- Possible interactions with packaging materials.
• Includes physical, chemical, biochemical and microbiological nature of
the product.
• Greater the value of the product higher investment in packaging- to
limit product damage /spoilage- optimum level of packaging.
Distribution needs
 A thorough understanding of distribution system- fundamental for designing
cost-effective packaging with appropriate degree of protection to the product.

 Distribution- “journey of the pack from the point of filling to the point of end
use- may also be extended to include packaging reuse, waste discovery and
disposal.

 Three distribution environment- climatic, physical and biological.

 Physical environment- in which physical damage can be caused to product

during

-ware house storage and distribution

- Variety of handling operations (pallet movement etc..)

- Handling operations subject the packs to range of mechanical hazards-

impacts, vibrations, compression, piercing, puncturing.
 Biological environment- environment in which
package interacts with pests- rodents, birds, mites
and insects and microbes.
 pests- understanding of survival needs, sensory perceptions,
strength, capabilities and limitations is required.
 Microbes- understanding the microbiology and methods of
preservation is necessary.
 other factors need to be considered for distribution purposes
– convenience in storage and display, ease of handling, clear
identification.
Packaging materials, machinery and
production process
 Packaging is constantly changing with the introduction of
new materials, technology and processes.
 may be due to need for improved product quality,
productivity, logistics service, environmental performance
and profitability.
 Aim – fitness for purpose – invovles selectioon of most
appropriate packaging material.