Food Packaging and Food-Contact - April 2011
This month we're looking at polymers in food packaging and food contact applications.
Polymers are a fundamentally important group of materials in food packaging, constituting around half of the packaging used by volume (as estimated by Freedonia). It is also suggested that this equates to providing packaging for well over half of all food as smaller quantities of polymers are needed than with other materials. Plastics and other synthetic polymers serve to protect food well and prolong shelf life, but packaging made from these materials can also be made to be visually appealing, re-sealable, safe for use in microwave and conventional ovens, and sometimes even dishwasher proof!
There are more considerations when it comes to this packaging though. These polymers must be safe for prolonged contact with food-stuffs; they cannot transfer chemicals to the food, but they also need to be cheap enough to produce and process in large volumes, and, increasingly this packaging needs to be recyclable too. With so many factors to consider, it's no wonder that research in this area continues.
Abstracts
Please see below a selection of abstracts highlighted in the April Newsletter. These are records which relate to the economic and commercial aspects of polymers that have been recently added to the Polymer Library.
Click on the 7-digit accession numbers to find out about ordering a copyright-cleared full text copy of the items shown.
1077331 - STUDY OF HOTMELT ADHESIVES USED IN FOOD PACKAGING MULTILAYER LAMINATES. EVALUATION OF THE MAIN FACTORS AFFECTING MIGRATION TO FOOD
An investigation was carried out to identify the main compounds present in hot melt adhesives based on EVA and a polyolefin enriched with propene and to determine partition and diffusion coefficients of laminates produced from a cardboard or PP cardboard substrates and the adhesives. The effect of temperature on partition and diffusion coefficients was also investigated and the relationship between migration and partition and diffusion coefficients examined. 41 refs.
Journal of Materials Chemistry, 21, No.2, 14th Jan.2011, p.420-431, ISSN, 0959-9428, DOI: 10.1039/c0jm02183k
Vera P; Aznar M; Mercea P; Nerin C
1076945 - ITALIAN WELDING MACHINERY FOR BAGS AND SACKS
A huge number of rectangular PE and PP bags are used worldwide for packaging all sorts of products. However, there is a very interesting, albeit less known, market for odd-shaped bags. Cibra produces machines for odd-shape bags that use sealing heads produced via an exclusive technology. The seam is welded by a heating element encased in an insulator that is cut to design. The most popular shape nowadays is conical bags used to pack cut flowers and potted plants. Elba offers two bag-making machines: SAV30 for pre-made pouches and the SA90TVB automatic welding machine designed to produce vacuum sacks in shrink film for food packaging. Two models of bag-making machines are offered by Mobert: the Roller 110SHP designed for the production of shopping bags and of bottom welded bags; and the Nastrosac 130 Duo for production of draw tape bags on a roll.
Popular Plastics and Packaging, 56, No.2, Feb.2011, p.35-36, ISSN: 0971-0078
Maggiani M
1076875 - PACKAGING FILM GRADES TAKE MOISTURE BARRIER FURTHER (short article)
It is briefly reported that two PE grades for barrier film extrusion from Nova Chemicals are said to bring up to 50% higher moisture barrier performance than existing materials. This translates into films that are stronger and thinner and in most cases, says Nova, run faster than competitive materials and also run on existing equipment. Surpass EX-HPs667-AB for cast film and extrusion coating is a developmental material characterised by its barrier and stiffness. Surpass HPs167-AB is for blown film and enables packaging designers to reduce film gauge while still meeting performance and sustainability objectives, or maintain gauge while increasing barrier and stiffness performance.
British Plastics and Rubber, Jan.2011, p.28, ISSN: 0307-6164
1076470 - POLYURETHANES USED FOR SPECIAL SEALING PURPOSES AND THEIR COMPARISON TO RUBBER
The properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes for special sealing purposes are described and compared with those of other rubbers, like nitrile rubber. The focus is on the use of thermoplastic polyurethanes at low temperatures, in water and in contact with food.
Rubber World, 243, No.1, Oct.2010, p.20/49, ISSN: 0035-9572
Hieber J
1075959 - RECYCLED FOOD-GRADE PP - A REALITY?
Waste PP has the potential to be recycled back into food-grade plastic, according to WRAP, which is working with industrial partners on a project to explore whether the existing HDPE recycling process can be applied to PP. The main difficulty in ‘closing the loop' is developing a suitable decontamination process. PP packaging is used in a wider range of packaging applications than PETP or HDPE bottles, so the process needs to remove a wider range of contaminants than the current food grade recycling processes can adequately deal with. The key problem lies in the removal of ink. With increasing collection of mixed plastics from households, along with investment in sorting and reprocessing, PP infrastructure in the UK is set to grow, it is claimed.
Materials World, 19, No.2, Feb.2011, p.8, ISSN: 0967-8638
Bennett M
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