Novel Commercialized Technology in Barrier Food Packaging

TAGS:  Additives for Packaging    

How about being able to see clearly into fresh fruit and vegetable packaging to judge quality firsthand. Look no further than masterbatch producer Ampacet’s Fresh+ 1032 AF antifog polyethylene compound for flexible barrier food packaging applications. Applications include grocery film packaging for cleaned, pre-cut and ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, as well as container lidding.

In this type of barrier packaging, small water droplets can form on the inside film surface thus reducing not only aesthetic shelf appeal but also a given product’s shelf life. Another key performance feature is non-migrating, low friction, surface slip capability, without the need for a migrating additive addition, that in turn makes it highly suitable with increased productivity on form, fill, and seal film processing equipment.

Barrier film has long been an outstanding achievement of the plastics packaging industry, protecting delicate and sensitive items, especially with regard to global food waste, where some conservative industries estimate wastage at 20% of all packaged food. Concurrent with this preceding waste challenge is the need for increased sustainability in barrier food packaging in terms of improved recycling and composting.


Let’s now turn our attention to reviewing five recent barrier food packaging innovations.

DSM, SABIC & Partners Develop Sustainable Meat Casing Using PCR Content

To start with, DSM, SABIC and related partners have developed a multi-layer barrier casing for meat products that uses post-consumer plastics. SABIC’s certified circular PolyEthylene (PE) from its TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio and a circular Akulon® CRC-MB PolyAmide (PA, Nylon) from DSM Engineering Materials have been manufactured by extruder Viscofan into a high performance, multi-layer, sustainable, fresh food packaging film. SABIC’s certified circular PE and benzene are based on post-consumer plastics, otherwise destined for landfill or incineration.

Upstream material system partners are Cepsa, producer of a certified circular phenol, and Fibrant, who in turn converts the phenol to make caprolactam, the key feedstock for the DSM PA. Beyond critical sustainable plastic material circularity, multi-layer barrier films aid in food waste reduction where food loss accounts for roughly 10% of all Global GreenHouse (GHG) emissions.

RKW & SAES Produce Recyclable Polyethylene for Food Packaging Films

Next, RKW, a packaging film extruder, and SAES Coated Films, a coatings manufacturer, have teamed up to create a novel, recyclable, mono-material, PolyEthylene (PE), high barrier packaging film. This new product is positioned to counter the traditional solution here, which is multi-layer films that are difficult or near impossible to recycle. It is showing up in zip-style stand-up food pouches.

The base film is an RKW Machine Direction Oriented PE (MDO-PE). Performance-wise it combines:

• High-temperature resistance,
• Excellent for hot-fill food product lines,
• Ease of extrusion processability, and
• High percentage use of recycled PE.

It is quite capable of replacing multi-material film substrates like stiff polyesters and nylon that are often laminated to PE.


Then SAES applies their high barrier COATHINK coating to the mono-material RKW MDO-PE film substrate. The SAES coating simultaneously reduces oxygen (cm³/m²/day, cubic centimeter per square meter per day) and water vapor (g/m²/day, grams per square meter per day) transmissions to very low to below the 1 factor. The coating is well less than 2% by weight of the overall mono-material barrier film packaging and thus is well within internationally established recycling guidelines. The barrier material represents less than 1-2% of the weight of the packaging, as recommended by the main international guidelines on recycling.

SP Group & Nurel Produce Compostable Films for Food Products

Continuing, specialty film extruder SP Group and Nurel Biopolymers have jointly commercialized a compostable, high oxygen barrier multi-layer film. This development represents another approach to accomplishing the recycling of complex, multi-material, barrier film packaging. This compostable film is currently targeted at refrigerated or dry food products such as salmon, nuts, salt, and energy bar packages. The film incorporates Nurel’s INZEA® biopolymers which are:

• High in biocontent,
• Transparent,
• Suitable for food contact,
• Easily package sealable, and
• Can be disposed off at the end of their life with organic waste.

The SP Group extrudes this bioplastic on traditional blown film equipment, a totally proprietary process optimized for high transparency, high compostability, and high oxygen barrier. In fact, oxygen permeability is equivalent to standard established Ethylene Vinyl alcOHol (EVOH) film materials. Additionally, Nurel Biopolymers INZEA® F18C polymer can be used in coextruded flat film structures.

Gipfelpuls Uses Innovia’s Propafilm™ Strata in Snack Bar Wrapping

Delving further, Innovia Films has commercialized a new Propafilm™ Strata film, which is called SLF. It is transparent and possesses outstanding barrier levels to oxygen, moisture, aroma and mineral oils. It also has a wide temperature sealing range, rendering it ideal for use on high-speed form, fill, seal packaging equipment for snack food, bakery, biscuits, and confectionery food products.

Specialty extruder Gipfelpuls has developed a 60% filled nut snack film package that combines berries, fruits, seeds, in addition to nuts in spherically shaped clusters. Superior aroma and oxygen barriers maintain the nut product in a very fresh condition.


Innovia’s SLF has a superior moisture barrier compared to standard PolyPropylene (PP) film, which in turn will increase food product shelf life while reducing food waste. SLF is also a very cost-effective replacement for PolyVinylidene diChloride (PVdC) coated films. Propafilm™ Strata films maintain their barrier performance in high relative humidity environments. SLF also easily allows for printable on and glossy surfaces for aesthetically pleasing shelf appeal.

Placon's Recyclable Oxygen Barrier Material for PET Packaging

Finally, film extruder Placon has developed OxyStar™, a recyclable oxygen barrier material, used in thermoformed PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) packaging. OxyStar™ has found use in high vitamin C meats and cheeses as well as high-fat oils and nuts. Whereas most barrier materials are classified #7 unrecyclable, OxyStar™ is designated #1 recyclable, allowing it to be placed in the standard PET regrind stream.

Its near-zero oxygen ingress results from a two-fold aspect namely, PET’s naturally low oxygen transmission rate, and an oxygen scavenging additive that further enhances barrier performance. This scavenger agent binds oxygen molecules into the thermoformed PET sidewall, keeping the packaged product fresher longer.


Find new opportunities in food packaging for enhanced product shelf-life, improved safety, easier recycling and design flexibility »

Multilayer, Pouch and Intelligent Barrier Packaging Advances in 2021

1. Parx Plastics' Antimicrobial Additive System for Barrier Food Packaging –
   Netherlands-based Parx Plastics has innovated with a bacterium fighting additive system suitable for a wide range of barrier food packages. Zinc is the active antimicrobial ingredient and is very efficient across a broad spectrum of bacteria germs from E. coli to the MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). No heavy metals, silver, or nanomaterials are involved in this zinc additive system. In a sense this antimicrobial additive system for food packaging use biomimics the human skin surface that contains 6% zinc.
   
   
   
   Parx Plastics’ Zinc Based Antimicrobial Additive Technology


2. Sukano's Bioplastic Multilayer Film for Dry Food Packaging –
   Malaysian-based Sukano has led an international team of U.S.-based NatureWorks, Japan’s Nippon Gohsei, and Italy-based Eurotech Extrusion Machinery in the development of a bioplastic multilayer food barrier plastic film. Eurotech provides a five-layer blown film extruder where the core inner layer is a NatureWorks PolyLactic Acid (PLA) , surrounded by outer layers made of Sukano PLA masterbatch, with tie layers of Nippon Gohsei’s high barrier vinyl alcohol plastic resin. Overall, this multilayer film is transparent, and its tie layers allow for aluminum foil replacement in many package designs. Initial barrier food applications include dry foods, such as: coffee capsule lidding film, snack trays, and cracker packages.
   
   
   
   Sukano’s Bioplastic Food Packaging Film


3. Mondi's Recycled Polyethylene for Petfood Packaging –
   European specialty barrier food packaging supplier Mondi has developed a totally PolyEthylene (PE) bag structure called FlexiBag Recyclable for petfood maker Zooplus’ Wolf of Wilderness product line. Mondi’s barrier film referred to as BarrierPack Recyclable is manufactured as a reel wound form fill and seal material with superior oxygen, moisture vapor, and odor control. Furthermore, it utilizes no metalized surface printing additives that in turn yield a fully recyclable package.
   
   
   
   Mondi’s All PE Barrier Petfood Packaging


4. Chamber Pouch's Flexible Pouch for Two-part Sports Nutrition Product –
   Canadian food package developer Chamber Pouch came up with a design first two-component stand-up flexible pouch. It permits two different products and was ideally suited for a two-part sports nutrition product. This type of package design is very adaptable and can run easily on traditional horizontal form, fill and seal machinery. In turn this allows for quick new food product introductions. Additionally, the dual pouch design allows for separation by the consumer once home with each pouch possessing its own closure and package structure.
   
   
   Chamber Pouch’s Stand-Up Dual Pouch Design


5. Dow Chemical’s Reverse Spout Sealing Technology for Consumer Packaging –
   Dow Chemical working with specialty molder Menshen Packaging has pioneered reverse spout sealing technology that in turn has led to ease of recycling in single polyethylene material spouted food and related consumer packages. Traditionally spouts are formed by heat application from the outside film, whereas in the new approach the spout is preheated and melted at its base, then inserted into the pouch, and sealed. This novel reverse spout sealing technology prevents the spout ribs from cutting into the monomaterial film layer. Typical package applications include - baby food and food condiments.
   
   
   
   Dow Chemical’s Single Material Spouted Pouch Sealing Technology

Recent Game Changing Innovations in Barrier Food Packaging

Talk to Donald Rosato to find out new opportunities in food packaging for enhanced product shelf-life, improved safety, easier recycling & design flexibility. Also, get insights on HDPE resin designed for 20% increase in water vapor transmission performance in multilayer coextruded film structures, new halogen-free processing aids to replace conventional fluorine-based elastomer PPAs, all-PET barrier lidding film Extrapet PCR made from 60% Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR) and more!

Suitable Additives for Food Packaging Applications

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