Professional Documents
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Introduction
Main functions:
to contain the product
to protect it against a range of hazards - adversely affect quality
Introduction
Should be convenient to use
many environmental implications
manufacture of packaging materials - energy requirements and the
release of undesirable compounds into atmosphere
recycling - positive influences
disposal of waste packaging materials - not biodegradable, is a
huge problem
Temperature
a package - able to withstand the changes in temp - particular
important when foods are heated or cooled in the package
use metal and glass containers; recently - heat resistant laminates
glass - heated or cooled slowly
method of heating influence the choice
toxicological testing - lengthy, complicated and expensive involving animal feeding trials - need expert interpretation specialist organisations
performed storage test before selection of packaging materials; use
simulants instead of real foods
Taint
the contents of a package may become tainted by absorption of
volatile compounds fr packaging materials when in direct contact
or absorb odorous compounds present in the free space within the
package
Plasticisers
Stabilisers
Colouring materials
Antioxidants
other gases have antimicrobial effects CO : inhibit the growth of many bacteria, yeasts and moulds;
conc. ~ 1%; toxic and explosive nature, not used
commercially
SO2 : used to inhibit the growth of moulds and bacteria in
some soft fruits and fruit juices; concern - some people may
be hypersensitive to SO2
noble gases : argon, helium, xenon and neon - used in MAP
Aseptic Packaging
UHT-treatment products have to be packaged under
conditions which prevent microb contamination
High-acid food (pH<4.5) cool the product after UHT
treatment to just below 100oC, fill into a clean container, seal
the container and hold it at that temp for some minutes
before cooling will inactivate microb that may have been
in the container or entered during the filling operation
Low-acid food (pH>4.5) aseptic filling must involve
sterilising the empty container or the material fr which the
container is made, filling it with the UHT-treated product
and sealing it without it being contaminated with microb
Rigid metal containers superheated steam at 260oC may be
used to sterilise the empty containers and maintain a sterile
atmosphere during the filling and sealing operations
Aseptic Packaging
Glass containers and some plastic and composite containers
may be aseptically filled by the same method
Cartons made fr a laminate of paper/al foil/PE are widely
used for UHT products such as liquid milk and fruit juices
this type of packaging material cannot be sterilised by heat
alone, a combination of heat and chemical sterilant is used
H2O2 at 35% in H2O and 90oC is very effective against heatresistant, sporeforming microb widely used as sterilant in
aseptic packaging in laminates
Form-fill-seal systems are available, an example being the
Tetra Brik system by Tetra Pak Ltd. Fig. 9.13.
Similar systems are available to aseptically fill into the
preformed plastic cups.
Active Packaging
Active packaging has been used with many food products
Active packaging refers to the incorporation of certain
additives into packaging film or within packaging
containers with the aim of maintaining and extending
product shelf life
Active packaging includes additives or freshness
enhancers that are capable of scavenging O2, adsorbing
CO2, moisture, ethylene and /or flavour/ odour taints,
releasing ethanol, sorbates, antioxidants and/or other
preservatives and/or maintaining oC control
Active Packaging
Table 9.3 lists some of the food applications
that have benefited fr active packaging
technology. Example:
For fruit juices, fish,and dairy products
Flavour/ odour absorbers
Active Packaging
Selected examples of active packaging
systems
Selected commercial oxygen scavenger
systems
Active Packaging
O2 scavengers
The main advantage capable of reducing O2 levels to
less than 0.01%, much lower than the typical 0.3-3.0%
residual O2 levels achievable by MAP
Can be used alone or in combination with MAP
Nonmetallic O2 scavengers enzyme-based, glucose
oxidase or ethanol oxidase be incorporated into
sachets, adhesive labels or immobilised onto packaging
film surfaces
Active Packaging
CO2 scavengers/emitters produce significant volumes of
CO2 needed
Ethylene scavenger to remove or to suppress its effects
Ethanol emitters ethanol as an antimicrobial agent
Preservative releasers antimicrobial and antioxidant
packaging extend shelf life
Moisture absorbers excess moisture cause food
spoilage
Flavour/odour adsorbers
Temp control packaging the use of innovative insulating
materials self-heating and self-cooling cans
Active Packaging
Food safety and regulations related to the
active packaging of foods
Any need for food contact approval must be established
before any form of active packaging is used.
It is important to consider environmental regulations
covering active packaging materials.
Need for labelling in cases where active packaging may
give rise to consumer confusion.
It is pertinent to consider the effects of active packaging
on the microbial ecology and safety of foods
Calculation
A method to calculate the shelf life of packaged dry foods,
based on the permeability of the pack, the water activity and
equilibrium moisture content of the food, the eqn.:
ln[(Me Mi)/(Me Mc)] = (P/X) x (A/Ws) x (Po/b) x (ts)
where Me= equilibrium moisture content of the food,
Mi = initial moisture content of the food, Mc = critical
moisture content of the food, P/X = permeability of the
packaging material (g water day-1m-2), A = area of package
(m2), Ws = weight of dry solids in the food, Po= vapour
pressure of pure water at the storage temperature (Torr), b =
slope of the moisture sorption isotherm (g H2O/g solids per
unit aw) and ts = time to the end of the shelf life (days)
Example - Question
Cream crackers that are packaged in a 0.4 m2 sealed bag are found to be
having 200g of dry solids. Packaging materials are made from barrier film, which
has a water vapour transmission rate of 0.015 ml day-1 m-2. The crackers are
expected to be stored at 28oC and the vapour pressure of pure water at the
storage temperature = 18 Torr. From the studies of the sorption isotherm of the
crackers, the equilibrium moisture content = 0.05 g per g of solids, initial
moisture content = 0.015 g per g of solids, the critical moisture content = 0.02 g
per g of solids, and the slope of the moisture sorption isotherm = 0.06 g H2O/ g
solids per units aw. Calculate the expected shelf life using this film.
Solutions
Ln[(Me Mi)/ (Me Mc)] = (P/X) x (A/Ws) x (Po/b) x (ts)
ts = ln[(0.05 0.015)/ (0.05 0.02)]/ [0.015 x (0.4/200) x (18/0.06)]
= 0.1542/ 9.0 x 10-3
= 17.1 days