food

ANALYSIS
PACKAGING
INGREDIENTS
PROCESSING

T H E Q U A R T E R LY M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E F O O D A N D B E V E R A G E I N D U S T R I E S I N E U R O P E
Issue 3 Spring 2006

Thin walled
containers
the packaging of
choice
ISO 22000 a new
global standard for
food safety
Dietary fibre the
healthy approach
Revolutionising the
Multigrain Process
Biodegradable
plastics for the food
industry

packaging

Multilayer films: a solution for

demanding food packaging applications
Nowadays we are witnessing a significant change in food consumption habits. Sales of fresh food
over the counter are decreasing as more and more consumers prefer to use cold shelves where
they can find the product prepared and packaged without having to wait. More than two thirds of
purchase decisions are made on impulse at the shelf. We also observe a snack and ready to eat
phenomenon going on in Europe.
The time people spend cooking is
decreasing, which in turn
increases demand for prepared
food with minimum cooking times.
And there is simultaneously a
growing demand for products with
longer shelf life but the same
nutritional value and aromatic
properties; and an increasing
focus on a healthy lifestyle, so
that the demand for bio-food is
steadily rising.

The requirements for

packaging
In addition, the growing number of
single households and households
with elderly people living alone
causes an increasing demand for
single packs with a high level of
convenience and features such as
lightweight packaging, and easyto-open, re-closable containers.
Production security and
traceability of the production
process is a prerequisite,
including, for example, the
implementation of certain quality
and hygiene standards to
guarantee food safety and
consumer security. A good
example is the hygiene
requirements applicable to the
production of ready meals, which
are designed to be heated and
consumed by the final customer
without undergoing aseptic
treatment such as boiling or
grilling. The issues of tamper
evidence and intelligent packaging
systems are therefore becoming
more and more significant.
The requirements a food package
has to fulfil are thus becoming
more and more demanding, and
include, among others, the need to
protect the packed food against

any kind of impact, to ensure high

production efficiency, to support
environmental sustainability and to
provide maximum shelf appeal.
In terms of protection, the
packaged food must be protected
against aromas and odours, gases
(e.g. oxygen, nitrogen and carbon
dioxide), water vapour, light, fat,
temperature, chemical and
mechanical impacts. The
packaging must ensure that the
interaction between the
environment and the packaged
food is minimal.

requirements of the package.

An example of an application for
multilayer films is the food
packaging industrys demand for
barrier packaging films. Within the
food packaging industry, two main
packaging techniques are applied
in order to increase the shelf life
of the packaged food: modified
atmosphere packaging (MAP) and
vacuum packaging.

Multilayer films
Such a multitude of requirements
cant be fulfilled with packaging
films based on a single polymer.
While such a polymer might be
appropriate in terms of fulfilling
one specific requirement it may
well possess other properties
which are disadvantageous and
unsuitable for the production of
food packaging. Therefore, the
food packaging industry requires
multilayer films to combine the
advantages of each single polymer
into one film and thus balance and
compensate for their individual
disadvantages.
Multilayer films can be produced
either by lamination or by coextrusion. In the lamination
process, two or more films are
bonded together using adhesives
to produce a composite film
structure. The co-extrusion
process combines several layers
of individual polymers into one film
so that they benefit from their
different chemical and mechanical
strengths. The combination of the
different polymer layers is variable
and will be done according to the

Graph 1

Vacuum packaging
In vacuum packaging all the
atmosphere inside the package is
evacuated in order to create a
vacuum. Vacuum packaging
improves the freshness of the
packed goods and increases their
shelf life by preventing
microbiological deterioration. It
also prevents the product from
shrinking or drying. Vacuum
packaged products maintain their
humidity, outward appearance and
aromas, and are not exposed to
oxygen.
Graph 1 shows the interaction a
vacuum packaged food product
will have with its environment and
which barrier properties the
packaging material has to
possess.

food spring 2006

19

20

packaging

sustainability, shelf appeal at the

point of sale and production
efficiency etc have been specified.
The main property of the polymer
to be taken into consideration for
the production of barrier films is
its rate of permeability to gases
and water vapour (see Graph 3).

Graph 2

Modified atmosphere
packaging
Modified atmosphere packaging
improves the preservation of the
packed goods by replacing the
atmosphere that surrounds the
product in the package with a
modified atmosphere (a mixture of
inert gases). Within the package,
the modified atmosphere controls
the chemical, enzymatic and
microbiological reactions of the
product without significantly
changing its chemical structure.
Modified atmosphere packaging is
used for a wide range of products
such as meat, pasta and some
types of cheeses.
The modified atmosphere used for
food packaging is a combination
of three gases: oxygen (O2),
carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen
(N2). The combination of these
three depends on the goods to be
packed.
Nitrogen is an inert gas that is
soluble in water or other gases. It
substitutes the oxygen inside the
Graph 3

package and stabilises it. It also

makes the atmosphere move
inside the package, preventing the
product from sticking. This is
especially important for packing
sliced products. Carbon dioxide is
soluble in water and fats and in a
minimum concentration of 20%
prevents fungal and bacterial
growth. Oxygen is used in

The barrier
property of a
multilayer film will
always be
influenced by the
thickness of the
polymer layers

packaging for fresh meat, often in

combination with carbon dioxide
and/or nitrogen. The combination
of all three helps to preserve the
red colour of meat throughout its
shelf life.
Graph 2 shows the interaction a
MAP packaged food product will
have with its environment and
which barrier properties the
packaging material has to
possess.

Selecting the polymers

The polymers which have to be
combined into a multilayer barrier
film are selected once the specific
requirements of the food product
to be packed have been defined,
and the expected shelf life of the
package, aspects of environmental

food spring 2006

PVC, PET, Nylon, PVdC and

EVOH, for example, offer a good
barrier to gas transmission.
However, their effectiveness as a
barrier to water vapour is often
not high enough for many food
packaging applications.
PE, PP and EVA offer a high
barrier to water vapour, which
helps to prevent a moist product
losing humidity and becoming dry
and conversely a dry product
attracting humidity and becoming
moist. On the other hand, their
barrier to gases is not high
enough: they cannot keep the
modified atmosphere inside the
package.
The barrier property of a
multilayer film will always be
influenced by the thickness of the
polymer layers.

Film production
technology
The permeability rates of water
vapour and oxygen are also
influenced by the film production
technology applied. Technologies
such as blending co-polymers,
changing the specific polymer
weight with additives, creating
crystalline structures and
orientating the film also have an
impact on the barrier properties of
the film. For example, the barrier
property of a bi-oriented PP film
against water vapour, oxygen and
nitrogen is twice as high as the
barrier property of an un-oriented
PP-film.
Other factors that must be taken
into consideration are that the
barrier properties of the packaging
material may change due to
thermal impacts during the
packaging process (e.g.
pasteurisation and sterilisation) or
be affected by other
environmental influences. For

packaging

EPS/EVOH/PE

PP/PA/PP
PP/EVOH/PP
PET/EVOH/PE
EPETBlend/EVOH/PE

PVC/EVOH/PE

PS/EVOH/PE

PS/EVOH/PE

PP/EVOH/PE
EPP/EVOH/PE
PP/PA/PE

APET/PETB/APET

PET/PE EPETBlend /PE

PET

C-PET
PVC

PS/PE

PETBlend/PE

PP/PE

PC/APET/PC

PP

PS/PETG

The following graph shows the different areas of application of

Klckner Pentaplasts rigid mono- and multilayer films depending on
their barrier properties and their level of temperature resistance.

PLA

22

temperature-resistant-polymers
often lack additional, required
properties, they have to be
combined with other polymers to
make them suitable for such food
packaging. PP, for example, has a
high level of heat resistance but a
low barrier property against
oxygen. The combination of PP
with an EVOH layer
(PP/EVOH/PP) can solve this
problem. In addition, many
products undergo pasteurisation
or sterilisation treatment during
the packaging process. The
packaging film must resist the
high temperatures it will have to
bear during this sequence.

About Klckner
Pentaplast
example, polymers which contain
-OH-groups (e.g. EVOH) become
softer when they absorb humidity.
Their diffusion and permeability
increases and the barrier property
of the film is thus reduced. Within
the broad range of barrier
polymers applied in the food
packaging industry only the
polymer PVdC shows barrier
properties that are not influenced
by humidity.

Temperature
The temperature of the packed
goods is also essential for both
good functioning of the packaging
as well as its barrier properties,
because the diffusion of oxygen
increases the higher the
temperature is. Therefore the
packaged food should be
uninterruptedly maintained at a
low temperature throughout the
chain.
Besides providing a barrier to
oxygen and water vapour, barrier
films applied for the production of
MAP packages must also fulfil
other requirements, such as, for
example:
Sealability: By sealing the tray
and top film hermetically we can
prevent any opening of the
package and preserve the
atmosphere within it throughout
the products shelf life. Polymers

food spring 2006

such as LDPE, mPE, Surlyn and

EVA are typical sealing layers.
Peelability: To make the opening
of the sealed package easier.

With 24 production
sites in 13 countries
and approximately
3,900 employees, kp
generates revenues of
more than h1.1billion

Transparency: The transparency

of the package is important for
the visibility of the product. An
anti-fog treatment can be applied
to the base and top films to
prevent water droplets forming on
the surface of the package.
Thermoformability: The walls
of the thermoformed tray must
have a minimum thickness to
ensure that the barrier properties
of the film are maintained.
Temperature resistance:
Prepared food is often designed to
be heated in the oven or
microwave without removing the
package. In this case, the package
must be able to resist heat for a
certain period of time. As

Klckner Pentaplast is a world

leading producer of films for
pharmaceutical, food and technical
applications. With 24 production
sites in 13 countries and
approximately 3,900 employees,
kp generates revenues of more
than h1.1billion. Its food
packaging films are marketed
under the master brand name:
Pentafood. The product range
includes a full spectrum of rigid
and flexible films and pouches
which are based on the polymers
PA, PE, PET, PVC, PP and PS
amongst others. For the
production of films, blow and castextrusion, calandering and
lamination processes are applied.
In Europe, Pentafood films are
produced at ten different
production sites each of which is
fully dedicated to the
requirements of the food
packaging industry and furnished
with the latest, state-of-the-art
production technology. n
Note: The content of this article is
consistent with our knowledge at the time
of printing. We do not take any
responsibility for the said content.

Valeska Haux
Strategic Marketing & Communications
Klckner Pentaplast GmbH & Co AG
www.kpfilms.com