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IWT TETRA Eindrapport: OptiThe_Ox2
No full textIn this report, we have summarized the research strategy and the results from the TETRA project OptiThe_Ox2, which was conducted by Hasselt University in collaboration with 12 companies active in the Belgian and Dutch packaging and food industry (2013-2015). The OptiThe_Ox2 project “Optimization of gas permeability of thermoformed packaging through improved insight in material, process and design” was supported by grants from the Agency of Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT).
I would like to thank all the participating companies and Pack4FOOD for their contribution and constructive cooperation. I also thank the companies that supplied the test materials (ANL Plastics, Ter Beke, EuralPack, SABIC and Kuraray EVAL Europe) and I thank Jan Mortier for excellent assistance in thermoforming the samples at Cobelplast, Geert Herremans (Kuraray, EVAL Europe) and Marnik Vaes (SABIC) for presenting and sharing technical information in the second user group meeting and Jelle Sterckx for his help setting up the sterilization process in Bioville.
Last but not least, I especially thank Griet Knockaert for the perfect execution of the project and the accurate analysis of all results, as well as my colleagues Dimitri Adons, Nadia Lepot, Gudrun Nowicki, Riet Henno, Bram Bamps and Roos Peeters from the Packaging Technology Center and Martine Van Hamel, Jan Yperman and Robert Carleer from the research group of Applied and Analytical Chemistry.
I hope you enjoy reading the results from the OptiThe_Ox2 project.
Mieke Buntinx
September 2015
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Materials and methods
Chapter 3 Evaluation of the thickness and gas permeability properties of selected PET sheet materials and their thermoformed trays
Chapter 4 Evaluation of the thickness and gas permeability properties of PLA and PLA/EVOH/PLA sheets and their thermoformed trays
Chapter 5 Evaluation of the thickness and gas permeability properties of selected PP sheet materials and their thermoformed trays
Chapter 6 Evaluation of thickness and barrier properties of selected PP/EVOH/PP materials before and after retorting.
Chapter 7 Literature review on additives (Scavengers, Fillers, Nucleating agents, Foaming agents)
Chapter 8 Summary of OTR results
Chapter 9 Annexes
Chapter 10 ReferencesIWT TETRA project 12014
IWT TETRA Eindrapport: OptiThe_Ox2
No full textIn this report, we have summarized the research strategy and the results from the TETRA project OptiThe_Ox2, which was conducted by Hasselt University in collaboration with 12 companies active in the Belgian and Dutch packaging and food industry (2013-2015). The OptiThe_Ox2 project “Optimization of gas permeability of thermoformed packaging through improved insight in material, process and design” was supported by grants from the Agency of Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT).
I would like to thank all the participating companies and Pack4FOOD for their contribution and constructive cooperation. I also thank the companies that supplied the test materials (ANL Plastics, Ter Beke, EuralPack, SABIC and Kuraray EVAL Europe) and I thank Jan Mortier for excellent assistance in thermoforming the samples at Cobelplast, Geert Herremans (Kuraray, EVAL Europe) and Marnik Vaes (SABIC) for presenting and sharing technical information in the second user group meeting and Jelle Sterckx for his help setting up the sterilization process in Bioville.
Last but not least, I especially thank Griet Knockaert for the perfect execution of the project and the accurate analysis of all results, as well as my colleagues Dimitri Adons, Nadia Lepot, Gudrun Nowicki, Riet Henno, Bram Bamps and Roos Peeters from the Packaging Technology Center and Martine Van Hamel, Jan Yperman and Robert Carleer from the research group of Applied and Analytical Chemistry.
I hope you enjoy reading the results from the OptiThe_Ox2 project.
Mieke Buntinx
September 2015
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Materials and methods
Chapter 3 Evaluation of the thickness and gas permeability properties of selected PET sheet materials and their thermoformed trays
Chapter 4 Evaluation of the thickness and gas permeability properties of PLA and PLA/EVOH/PLA sheets and their thermoformed trays
Chapter 5 Evaluation of the thickness and gas permeability properties of selected PP sheet materials and their thermoformed trays
Chapter 6 Evaluation of thickness and barrier properties of selected PP/EVOH/PP materials before and after retorting.
Chapter 7 Literature review on additives (Scavengers, Fillers, Nucleating agents, Foaming agents)
Chapter 8 Summary of OTR results
Chapter 9 Annexes
Chapter 10 ReferencesIWT TETRA project 12014
Applicability of oxygen scavengers for shelf life extension during illuminated storage of cured cooked meat products packaged under modified atmosphere in materials with high and low oxygen permeability
No full textThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of illumination, packaging material and application of oxygen scavengers on the shelf life of two different cured cooked meat products in diverse retail storage conditions. For this purpose, ham luncheon sausage and pork liver pâté were packaged in high-and low-OTR (oxygen transmission rate) packages under modified atmosphere. Packages either did or did not contain a 50-ml O 2 capacity oxygen scavenger. Samples were stored at 7 C either in complete darkness or illuminated by fluorescent or LED lamps for the last 48 h of storage. Microbial quality of pâté was more crucial than that of ham sausage, partially due to a higher initial microbial load. Pâté was far more susceptible to discolouration and lipid oxidation than ham luncheon sausage. Illumination was a crucial aspect for discolouration of ham sausage, whereas pâté exhibited discolouration without illumination when packaged in low barrier packages. Hence, high barrier packages are indispensable for these types of products, especially pâté. Inclusion of an oxygen scavenger may lead to improved colour stability and lower lipid oxidation, provided that the packaging material had a sufficiently low OTR and some days of dark storage preceded illumination. Replacing a multilayered high-barrier packaging system with a lower barrier system with an added scavenger is not an interesting option as there is competition for oxygen absorption between the food product and the scavenger. K E Y W O R D S gas transmission rates, meat products, oxygen scavengers, packaging, shelf lifeFlanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Belgium (VLAIO), Grant/Award Number: VIStraject 140997; Flemish Innovation Collaboration Trajectory, Grant/Award Number: 140997
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
These results were obtained in the framework of a Flemish Innovation Collaboration Trajectory (VIS-traject 140997) supported by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Belgium (VLAIO), and by companies representing different links in the food packaging chain
A lab approach to Simulate the Effects of Thermoforming on the Gas Permeability of Commercial Multilayers
No full textIn the search for sustainable food packaging, critical reflection on the choice, combination and quantity of (bio)materials for specific applications is becoming increasingly important to prevent food waste. Our previous research has shown the combined effects of material thinning and polymer reorientation on the gas permeability of thermoformed multilayer trays. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of simulating the thermoforming process by heating and deforming (bio)plastic multilayers in a lab scale set-up to determine the maximum thinning and the associated gas permeability properties.
First, thermal and tensile properties of commercial PE/EVOH/PE and ecovio®/G-Polymer/ecovio multilayer films (~85 µm) are characterized. Next, tensile testing at selected temperatures is applied to determine the maximum stretch, based on the elongation at break. Then, hot stretching of 70x60 mm2-films in machine and/or cross direction (MD, CD, MD+CD) or 45°, is done in an oven at optimal temperature by applying maximum gravity without breaking the multilayer. The microscopical thickness resulting from these situations is compared with the thinning in the bottom, walls and corners of thermoformed trays. The results show that thinning of both films is proportional to an increase in the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), with the PE-layers providing a better water vapor barrier than the ecovio-layers. In contrast, the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) is not proportional to thinning of the total film, nor the thickness of the barrier layer. Here, polymer reorientation comes into play, even resulting in improved oxygen permeability coefficients as compared to the base films.
We conclude that this approach can support the optimization of thermoforming processes by determining the maximal stretch of the individual layers while safeguarding the gas barrier properties of the final packaging, e.g. in thermoformed fiber-based trays
A lab approach to Simulate the Effects of Thermoforming on the Gas Permeability of Commercial Multilayers
No full textIn the search for sustainable food packaging, critical reflection on the choice, combination and quantity of (bio)materials for specific applications is becoming increasingly important to prevent food waste. Our previous research has shown the combined effects of material thinning and polymer reorientation on the gas permeability of thermoformed multilayer trays. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of simulating the thermoforming process by heating and deforming (bio)plastic multilayers in a lab scale set-up to determine the maximum thinning and the associated gas permeability properties.
First, thermal and tensile properties of commercial PE/EVOH/PE and ecovio®/G-Polymer/ecovio multilayer films (~85 µm) are characterized. Next, tensile testing at selected temperatures is applied to determine the maximum stretch, based on the elongation at break. Then, hot stretching of 70x60 mm2-films in machine and/or cross direction (MD, CD, MD+CD) or 45°, is done in an oven at optimal temperature by applying maximum gravity without breaking the multilayer. The microscopical thickness resulting from these situations is compared with the thinning in the bottom, walls and corners of thermoformed trays. The results show that thinning of both films is proportional to an increase in the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), with the PE-layers providing a better water vapor barrier than the ecovio-layers. In contrast, the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) is not proportional to thinning of the total film, nor the thickness of the barrier layer. Here, polymer reorientation comes into play, even resulting in improved oxygen permeability coefficients as compared to the base films.
We conclude that this approach can support the optimization of thermoforming processes by determining the maximal stretch of the individual layers while safeguarding the gas barrier properties of the final packaging, e.g. in thermoformed fiber-based trays
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Selecting packaging material for dry food products by trade-off of sustainability and performance : a case study on cookies and milk powder
No full textAlternative packaging concepts for two dry, shelf-stable food products were evaluated. A trade-off between recyclability (monolayer materials) and performance (multilayered high-barrier materials) was made for the packaging materials. Caramellized cookies were packaged in flowpacks made of PP film (OTR 1307 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 5 g/m(2)/d), acryl-coated PVdC/PP film (OTR 21.8 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 4.2 g/m(2)/d) as a reference material and metallized PP (MPP) film (OTR 31.2 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 0.4 g/m(2)/d) and stored at 22 degrees C and 50% relative humidity. Texture was compromised after 6 months of storage for the former two materials, while the latter provided an extension of textural acceptability. Whole milk powder was packaged in unsealed PE bags as a reference, representing a typical paper bag with a PE liner that is stapled shut without a seal. Alternative packages were sealed PE bags (OTR 1464 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 3 g/m(2)/d), PE/PA/EVOH/PA/PE (OTR 0.25 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 0.95 g/m(2)/d) and PA/EVOH/PA/PE (OTR 1.24 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 8 g/m(2)/d) multilayer bags, and PP/Al/PE (OTR 0.1 cc/m(2)/d, WVTR 0.1 g/m(2)/d) bags and stored at room temperature and relative humidity between 70% and 90%. Unsealed bags were found to be unacceptable for storage at high humidity, due to excessive caking, discolouration and mould growth. Sealed PE bags provided adequate protection against moisture, yet not against oxygen ingress, leading to oxidative off-odours. The barrier efficiency of PA/EVOH/PA/PE was compromised by the high humidity. Both PE/PA/EVOH/PA/PE and PP/Al/PE bags provided adequate protection for over a year
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