1,721,013 research outputs found
Packaging functionality of coated papers as primary food packaging MPR&S/imo-imomec (UHasselt)
No full textThe use of paper in primary food packaging receives much interest because of high consumer value and the well-known recycling process of paper. Paper is finished with one or more coatings, offering good seal and barrier properties to gases and/or moisture. Currently, non-fibre content is minimized of coated papers to allow collection in the consumer paper waste stream, following national guidelines. As a result, many novel coated papers are brought onto the market as primary food packaging. However, it is not always clear whether these materials meet the desired properties and if they are fit for purpose.
Belgian, German and Polish research institutes combine their expertise to study commercial coated papers for primary packaging in a CORNET project (https://cornet.online/). This project, with REPAC² as acronym, includes inventorisation, packaging functionality, recyclability, product environmental footprint, shelf life, matchmaking and implementation to support SME’s in the food packaging industry. To assess packaging functionality, a selection of 15 commercial coated papers are broadly screened on their seal (hot and cooled down), barrier (water vapor, oxygen gas, water and oil) and mechanical performance (tensile, tear, puncture and abrasion). UV-ageing, morphology and surface properties are included in the determination of packaging functionality.
This presentation offers a brief overview of the results of these experiments of one coated paper, in relation with the use of this material as primary food packaging to highlight the opportunities and bottlenecks, compared to a reference film
Packaging functionality of coated papers as primary food packaging MPR&S/imo-imomec (UHasselt)
No full textThe use of paper in primary food packaging receives much interest because of high consumer value and the well-known recycling process of paper. Paper is finished with one or more coatings, offering good seal and barrier properties to gases and/or moisture. Currently, non-fibre content is minimized of coated papers to allow collection in the consumer paper waste stream, following national guidelines. As a result, many novel coated papers are brought onto the market as primary food packaging. However, it is not always clear whether these materials meet the desired properties and if they are fit for purpose.
Belgian, German and Polish research institutes combine their expertise to study commercial coated papers for primary packaging in a CORNET project (https://cornet.online/). This project, with REPAC² as acronym, includes inventorisation, packaging functionality, recyclability, product environmental footprint, shelf life, matchmaking and implementation to support SME’s in the food packaging industry. To assess packaging functionality, a selection of 15 commercial coated papers are broadly screened on their seal (hot and cooled down), barrier (water vapor, oxygen gas, water and oil) and mechanical performance (tensile, tear, puncture and abrasion). UV-ageing, morphology and surface properties are included in the determination of packaging functionality.
This presentation offers a brief overview of the results of these experiments of one coated paper, in relation with the use of this material as primary food packaging to highlight the opportunities and bottlenecks, compared to a reference film
Bioplastics in food packaging applications: seal, gas barrier and mechanical performance
No full textBioplastics in food packaging applications: seal, gas barrier and mechanical performance
No full textOptimizing pallet stretch wrapping protocol for consistent comparison of stretch film transport performance
No full textNew legislation, plastic taxes, and eco-modulation will soon require stretch films around pallets to contain multiple recycled polyethylene (PE). To study the impact on stretch film performance during transport, the CORNET project MultiRec (HBC.2023.0176) conducts transport simulations with stretch films varying in recycled content and recycling cycles. For consistent comparisons, a standard pallet was defined for industrial relevance. A Europallet with six column-stacked double-walled cardboard boxes filled with plastic pellets was chosen to achieve a packaging density of 192.2 kg/m³, in line with ASTM D4169 recommendations for average shipping density, resulting in a total load weight of 332 kg. The pallet is finished with cardboard corner profiles and a PE top sheet. A 300% pre-stretch was set on the wrapper based on tensile tests and datasheet values. The wrapper was then adjusted to ensure 300% stretch across the entire pallet, verified by measuring the weight of the wrappings at the base, centre, and top. This resulted in the following settings for the industrial turntable wrapper (Spinny S350; EFFE 3 TI srl): a rotation speed of 75%, an up/down speed setting of 20, and a film tension setting of 18. In the final step, the wrapping pattern was optimized by testing various wrapping patterns while keeping the total number of layers constant at 26. This optimization involved subjecting the pallets, 10 minutes after being stretch-wrapped, to a horizontal collision using a swing that comes to a sudden stop, resulting in a brief but intense acceleration peak (20 ms, max. 15 g). The relative displacement of the layers was determined by video analysis using open-source tracking software (https://physlets.org/tracker/), with minimal displacement considered favourable. This preliminary study describes best practices that can be more broadly applied to systematically setting industrial wrappers
Optimizing pallet stretch wrapping protocol for consistent comparison of stretch film transport performance
No full textNew legislation, plastic taxes, and eco-modulation will soon require stretch films around pallets to contain multiple recycled polyethylene (PE). To study the impact on stretch film performance during transport, the CORNET project MultiRec (HBC.2023.0176) conducts transport simulations with stretch films varying in recycled content and recycling cycles. For consistent comparisons, a standard pallet was defined for industrial relevance. A Europallet with six column-stacked double-walled cardboard boxes filled with plastic pellets was chosen to achieve a packaging density of 192.2 kg/m³, in line with ASTM D4169 recommendations for average shipping density, resulting in a total load weight of 332 kg. The pallet is finished with cardboard corner profiles and a PE top sheet. A 300% pre-stretch was set on the wrapper based on tensile tests and datasheet values. The wrapper was then adjusted to ensure 300% stretch across the entire pallet, verified by measuring the weight of the wrappings at the base, centre, and top. This resulted in the following settings for the industrial turntable wrapper (Spinny S350; EFFE 3 TI srl): a rotation speed of 75%, an up/down speed setting of 20, and a film tension setting of 18. In the final step, the wrapping pattern was optimized by testing various wrapping patterns while keeping the total number of layers constant at 26. This optimization involved subjecting the pallets, 10 minutes after being stretch-wrapped, to a horizontal collision using a swing that comes to a sudden stop, resulting in a brief but intense acceleration peak (20 ms, max. 15 g). The relative displacement of the layers was determined by video analysis using open-source tracking software (https://physlets.org/tracker/), with minimal displacement considered favourable. This preliminary study describes best practices that can be more broadly applied to systematically setting industrial wrappers
Study of optimal heat seal performance of flexible food packaging, using material properties, machine and processing parameters in a design of experiments approach
No full textNot availabl
Study of optimal heat seal performance of flexible food packaging, using material properties, machine and processing parameters in a design of experiments approach
No full textNot availabl
Seal materials in flexible plastic food packaging: A review
No full textFlexible packaging has many advantages in the food industry, arising from low weight,
formability, multilayer complexity and cost. Heat sealing is a very efficient technique to close flexible
food packaging. Currently, many thermoplastic materials are used in seal layers. A seal can be formed
when these materials are heated and brought into contact, thereafter polymer chains diffuse across the
seal interface and entangle. Hydrogen bonds, polar and ionic interactions are molecular forces that can
come into play, depending on the thermoplastic materials that are used in the seal layer. Bonds between
identical polymers, referred to as autohesion, are formed in pouch applications (e.g. horizontal and
vertical form-fill-seal packages). In lidding applications, the flexible film is sealed to a rigid cup, tray
or bottle, whereby bonds can be formed between non-identical polymers because the materials are often
provided by different suppliers. All heat seal technologies imply heating of seal layers but differ in the
heating principle. In the food industry and in most scientific seal studies, the seals of mono- and
multilayered packaging are mainly formed by conductive heating. Recently, the use of emerging
technologies, such as ultrasonic and laser heating, are increasingly described in recent papers. Applied
seals are characterized by strength after a specified cooling time. Immediately after heating, this strength
is referred to as hot tack. A good seal performance is crucial to guarantee food safety and quality.
Besides strength, tightness is important to prevent food degradation, caused by microorganisms and
external gases; and to keep aromatic gases inside the package. This review aims to give a literature
overview which can support stakeholders in the food industry to improve and optimize the material
selection in flexible packaging, in order to obtain seals with desired tightness and strength. Heat seal
studies on materials and seal technology of flexible food packaging, such as pouches and lidding films,
are considered. Scientific data is categorized from a materials’ perspective, based on chemical structure,
which is revealed by chemical and thermal analysis. A majority of the seal studies is categorized in a
first section on polyolefins as seal layers. The following sections describe the seal functionality of i)
ethylene copolymers, such as ionomers, and ii) polyesters, such as poly(ethylene terephthalate),
pol(lactic acid) and poly(butylene succinate). The role of plasticizers, fillers and other additives in the
seal performance is also described. Finally, material properties, such as chain length and melting
temperature (Tm), as underlying causes of seal performance, are summarized
Seal materials in flexible plastic food packaging: A review
No full textFlexible packaging has many advantages in the food industry, arising from low weight,
formability, multilayer complexity and cost. Heat sealing is a very efficient technique to close flexible
food packaging. Currently, many thermoplastic materials are used in seal layers. A seal can be formed
when these materials are heated and brought into contact, thereafter polymer chains diffuse across the
seal interface and entangle. Hydrogen bonds, polar and ionic interactions are molecular forces that can
come into play, depending on the thermoplastic materials that are used in the seal layer. Bonds between
identical polymers, referred to as autohesion, are formed in pouch applications (e.g. horizontal and
vertical form-fill-seal packages). In lidding applications, the flexible film is sealed to a rigid cup, tray
or bottle, whereby bonds can be formed between non-identical polymers because the materials are often
provided by different suppliers. All heat seal technologies imply heating of seal layers but differ in the
heating principle. In the food industry and in most scientific seal studies, the seals of mono- and
multilayered packaging are mainly formed by conductive heating. Recently, the use of emerging
technologies, such as ultrasonic and laser heating, are increasingly described in recent papers. Applied
seals are characterized by strength after a specified cooling time. Immediately after heating, this strength
is referred to as hot tack. A good seal performance is crucial to guarantee food safety and quality.
Besides strength, tightness is important to prevent food degradation, caused by microorganisms and
external gases; and to keep aromatic gases inside the package. This review aims to give a literature
overview which can support stakeholders in the food industry to improve and optimize the material
selection in flexible packaging, in order to obtain seals with desired tightness and strength. Heat seal
studies on materials and seal technology of flexible food packaging, such as pouches and lidding films,
are considered. Scientific data is categorized from a materials’ perspective, based on chemical structure,
which is revealed by chemical and thermal analysis. A majority of the seal studies is categorized in a
first section on polyolefins as seal layers. The following sections describe the seal functionality of i)
ethylene copolymers, such as ionomers, and ii) polyesters, such as poly(ethylene terephthalate),
pol(lactic acid) and poly(butylene succinate). The role of plasticizers, fillers and other additives in the
seal performance is also described. Finally, material properties, such as chain length and melting
temperature (Tm), as underlying causes of seal performance, are summarized
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