FOOD PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY

6 SEM UNIT 2
(PART-B)

Detail Contents
• Types, properties, advantages & disadvantages
• Plastic based packaging material
• Primary Packaging
• Secondary Packaging
• Transport packaging
SUMIT DUTTA
 Plastic as packaging materials

Reasons Plastics for packing

• Shelf Life: Plastics packaging material offer better shelf life.

• Cost: Plastics are the most cost effective medium of

packaging when compared with any other material; the cost of
transportation is reduced considerable on account of lower
weight and less damage.

• Convenience: Plastics can be converted in any form with

various processing techniques, thus can pack any type of
substances like liquids, powders, flakes, granules, solids.

• Waste: Packaging in plastics reduces the wastage of various

food products, typical example is potatoes or onions packed in
leno. are easy to recycle.
• Aesthetics: A right choice of plastics packaging increased
the aesthetic value of products and helps in brand identity.

• Handling and Storage: Products packed in plastics are

easiest to handle and store as well as transport.

• Plastic products are easy to recycle.

 How Is Plastic Made?
Most of the plastic in use today is derived by the following
steps:
1. Extraction of raw materials (largely crude oil and natural
gas, but also coal) – these are a complex mixture of
thousands of compounds that then need to be processed.

2. Refining process transforms crude oil into different

petroleum products – these are converted to yield useful
chemicals including “monomers” (a molecule that is the basic
building blocks of polymers). In the refining process,

3. Polymerisation is a process in the petroleum industry

where light olefin gases (gasoline) such as ethylene,
propylene, butylene (i.e., monomers) are converted into higher
molecular weight hydrocarbons (polymers).
 Type of Polymerisation

Addition polymerisation
The addition polymerisation reaction is when one monomer
connects to the next one (dimer) and dimer to the next one
(trimer) and so on. This is achieved by introducing a catalyst,
typically a peroxide. This process is known as chain growth
polymers – as it adds one monomer unit at a time. Common
examples of addition polymers are polyethylene, polystyrene
and polyvinyl chloride.

Condensation polymerisation
Condensation polymerisation includes joining two or more
different monomers, by the removal of small molecules such
as water.
4. Compounding/Processing
In compounding, various blends of materials are melt blended
(mixed by melting) to make formulations for plastics.
Generally, an extruder of some type is used for this purpose
which is followed by pelletising the mixture. Extrusion or a
different moulding process then transforms these pellets into a
finished or semi-finished product.
How is plastic created from naphtha?
Plastic is often created from naphtha. Ethylene and propylene, for
example, are the main raw material for oil-based plastic coming from
Naphtha.
What is Naphtha?
There are different types of naphtha. It is a term used to describe a group
of volatile mixtures of liquid hydrocarbons, obtained by the distillation of
crude oil. It is a mixture of C5 to C10 hydrocarbons.
Naphtha is decomposed thermally at high temperature (~800 °C) in a
steam cracker in presence of water vapor where it splits into light
hydrocarbons known as major intermediaries. These are olefins and
aromatics. Among the olefins, there is C2 (ethylene), C3 (propylene),
C4 (butane and butadiene). The aromatics consist of benzene, toluene and
xylene. These small molecules are linked together by into long molecular
chains called polymers. When a polymer comes out of the chemical
factory they it is still not in the form of plastic – they are in the form of
granules or powders (or liquids). Before they can become an everyday use
plastic they need to undergo a series of transformations. They are
kneaded, heated, melted, and cooled into objects of various shape, size
colour with precise properties according to the processing tubes.
What is the main ingredient in plastic?
The main ingredient in most plastic material is a derivative
from crude oil and natural gas.
There are many different types of plastics – clear, cloudy,
solid colour, flexible, rigid, soft, etc.
Plastic products are often a polymer resin which is then then
mixed with a blend of additives (See polymer vs. plastic). The
additives are important as each of them are used to provide
plastic with targeted optimum properties such as toughness,
flexibility, elasticity, colour or to make them safer and hygienic
to use for a particular application.
What type of plastic a product is made from can be
sometimes be identified by looking at the number at the
bottom of plastic containers. Some of the main types of
plastic and the parent monomer is given below (Table 1). This
table shows the types of plastic and the monomers that make
up the plastic.
 Resin
identification Polymers Monomers
code
Polyethylene terephthalate Ethylene glycol and Dimethyl
1 : PETE
(PET) terephthalate
Ethylene (CH2=CH2)
2 : HDPE High-density polyethylene (HDPE) *(lesser branching
between polymer chains)
3 : PVC Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Vinyl chloride (CH2=CH-Cl)
Ethylene (CH2=CH2)
4 : LDPE Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
*(excessive branching)
5 : PP Polypropylene (PP) Propylene (CH3-CH=CH2)

6 : PS Polystyrene (PS) Styrene

Other plastics including acrylic, Different monomers are used for a
7 : Others polycarbonates, polylactic acid particular polymer. For instance, PLA
(PLA), fibres, nylon made from Lactic acid
*The monomer used in LDPE and HDPE is ethylene but there is a difference in the degree of
branching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qQS4VMeh1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fjb1oA7No
What is Secondary Packaging?

This type of packaging is used outside of primary packaging

to group a certain number of products to create a stock-
keeping unit, commonly referred to as a SKU. It facilitates
the handling of smaller products by collating them into a
single pack. This type of packaging also provides
supplementary protection to help maintain the integrity of the
primary packaging. In addition, it can serve as a shipping
container for small shipments, making it highly useful in e-
commerce. Secondary packaging is frequently made up of
multiple components (box, padding, separators,
reinforcements, bags, paper, etc.). It may also be
customized to make a product easily identifiable in the
warehouse setting. In the case of cereal, for example, the
secondary packaging would be the corrugated cardboard
box containing multiple individual boxes of cereal.
Importance of Secondary Packaging

• Secondary packaging plays a huge role in distribution,

display, and branding. During distribution, secondary packages
protect the primary packages and the product
• Although a major benefit of secondary packaging is transport,
it plays a more direct role on a daily basis – primarily, the
protection of the product and primary package.
• Cartons also have a major impact on branding and product
display. This means the purchaser will see the carton and not
necessarily see the primary pack.
• As with branding and artwork, secondary packages are used
to display required regulatory information. Since regulations
can vary depending on the product, secondary packaging
provides ample space to print required regulatory information
and variable text, such as lot and expiration.
 Folding cartons

In 1897, the National Biscuit

Company (Nabisco) became the
first large company to adopt the
new cartons, for Uneeda Biscuits.

Packaging costs as a function of material use

Some important points that you need to consider before
selecting the packaging type and material are:

1. Type of Product
2. Eco-friendly
3. Mode of Transport
4. Importing Country’s Packaging Requirements
5. Specific Buyer Requirements
6. Costs
7. Type of Shipment
What is Transport Packaging?

Tertiary/ Transport Packaging is used to group secondary

packaging together to aid handling, unitization, transportation
and damage prevention to products. Tertiary packaging is the
traditional transport packaging used to move bulk items to
distribution and retail outlets. Oftentimes, tertiary packaging
provides the function of flat unit load support in transport.
Common types include pallets and skids, most commonly
made of wood or plastic. These can be single use or reusable
and can be rackable or nestable. Slip sheets are also used for
this purpose, which are typically kraft or corrugated paper with
lips that fold up to hold secondary packs in place. For lighter
loads, trays can be used, which also come in a range of
materials and forms.
Importance of Transport Packaging
Transport packaging must provide sufficient damage prevention,
optimize space utilization, and use sustainable materials with
responsible end of life scenarios.
•Damage Prevention
•Material efficiency
•Volumetric efficiency
•Sustainable Material Sourcing & End of Life

Corrugated Fiber Board Boxes

Corrugated fiberboard is a material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet
and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines"
or "corrugators" and is used for making cardboard boxes. The corrugated
medium sheet and the linerboard(s) are made of kraft containerboard,
a paperboard material usually over 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) thick.
Corrugated fiberboard is sometimes called corrugated cardboard,
although cardboard might be any heavy paper-pulp based board.
Properties and characteristics
•Moisture content It ranges from 6.5-9.5%.
•Edge crush test It measures force per unit width and predicts Box
compression strength. It is reported in KN/m or lb/inch.
•Burst strength It is pressure required to rupture corrugated sheet. It is
reported in KPa or lb/inch2.
•Box Compression strength It is direct measurement of performance of
corrugated boxes. It is reported in kgf or N.
•Flat crush test It measures flutes rigidity and reported in KPa.
•Bending resistance
•Impact resistance
•Cushioning, shock absorption
•Tear resistance
•Grammage weight per meter square [GSM] of any material is called
grammage. It is reported in g/m2
•Corrugated fiberboard is anisotropic; many of its properties are highly
directional. For example, edge crush, bending stiffness, tensile, and
surface characteristics are different, depending on the orientation to the
flutes and the machine direction of manufacture.
 Box blank showing score lines, slots, and manufacturer's joint
Main flutes for corrugated fiberboard

Standard US corrugated flutes

Flute
Flute Flutes per Flutes per Flute thickness
thickness
designation foot meter (mm)
(in)
A flute 33 ± 3 3
⁄16 108 ± 10 4.8
B flute 47 ± 3 1
⁄8 154 ± 10 3.2
C flute 39 ± 3 5
⁄32 128 ± 10 4.0
E flute 90 ± 4 1
⁄16 295 ± 13 1.6
F flute 125 ± 4 1
⁄32 420 ± 13 0.8
•Single Face: One corrugated medium is glued to one flat
sheet of linerboard; flutes exposed.
•Single Wall: The corrugated medium is glued between two
sheets of linerboard. Also known as doubleface.
•Double Wall: Three sheets of linerboard with two mediums in
between.
•Triple Wall: Four sheets of linerboard with three mediums in
between.
The five most common flute profiles are:
A-Flute: Appx 33 flutes per foot. Original corrugated flute design.
B-Flute: Appx 47 flutes per foot and measures 1/8" thick; often for
canned goods.
C-Flute: Appx 39 flutes per foot and measures 5/32" thick; common
for shipping cartons.
E-Flute: Appx 90 flutes per foot and measures 1/16" thick.
F-Flute: Appx 125 flutes per foot and measures 1/32" thick; for small
retail packaging.
 Wooden box
A wooden box is a container made of wood for storage or as
a shipping container.
Construction may include several types of
wood; lumber (timber), plywood, engineered woods, etc. For
some purposes, decorative woods are used.

Boxes as shipping containers

Wooden boxes are often used for heavy duty packaging when
•high strength is needed for heavy and difficult loads
•long term warehousing may be needed
•large size is required
•rigidity is required
•when stacking strength is critical
Species of wood
# Birch # Fir # Douglas Fir # Acacia # Poplar # Alder # Aspen #
Hornbeam # Chestnut # Ash # Olive trees # Maritime Pine # Scots Pine
# Sycamore # Oak

Advantages of wooden crates are:

•The boxes can be manufactured and repaired locally.
•Wood is relatively resistant to different weather conditions and (sea)water.
•Wooden boxes are often used on more than one journey and have a
higher efficiency for larger fruits, e.g. watermelons.
•Most boxes have good ventilation and fast pre-cooling is possible.
Disadvantages of wooden crates are:
•Untreated wood can easily become contaminated with fungi and bacteria.
•Treatment of wooden boxes with paint or other chemicals may cause
produce deterioration.
•The material may be too hard or rough for produce like soft fruits, and
therefore liners of a soft material may be needed.
•Disposal of the boxes after use.
Manufacturing of wooden crates puts an extra claim on the natural forest
resources.
 Ancillary Packaging Material
Printing Inks
Printing inks are coloured liquids or pastes, formulated to
transfer and reproduce an image from a printing surface. They
are used mainly to convey a message and provide protection;
however, they also can give a decorative effect to the
substrate to which they are applied. Printing inks are used on
a wide range of papers, boards, plastic, glass and textiles
surface in flat and, in some instances, preformed shapes.
Raw Materials in Ink

Pigments and dyestuffs together are probably the most

important items in printing ink formulation, as they convey the
visual identity of an ink and invariably contribute the major
component. The vehicle acts as a carrier for the pigments and
other modifiers in the ink. Resins, varnishes and oils are
added to improve the printing performance. Solvents are
normally used to disperse the liquid part of the printed ink,
which is added to adjust the viscosity of the ink or control the
drying speed of specific printing inks.
The other ink additives are plasticisers, driers, waxes,
antioxidants, surfactants and wetting agents.
Inks Used for Food Packages

A] Inks for External Packaging: This is defined as any

packaging additional to an immediate food wrapping, and the
printed matter has a barrier in the form of another wrapper
between it and the food. The very low ink film weight and its
remoteness from the food, makes any additional safe guard
unnecessary. The materials used for the printing inks must
however be non-toxic and non-injurious to health.

B] Inks for Immediate Food Wrapping: This deals with

wrapping material in direct contact with the food, such as
butter wrapper, ice cream wrapper etc.
 # Inks for Immediate Food Wrapping #

• It is essential that inks for such wrappers must be on outside of the

wrapper, which itself must form a barrier between the food and the print.
There should be no ink migration to the food. The reverse printing of the
films must also be avoided unless there is a functional barrier between ink
and the food stuff.
• Printing inks used must be formulated on raw materials other than those
known to be toxic and included in the list of excluded raw materials.
• Care must be taken during printing of the immediate wrappers to avoid
set-off and prevent any ink coming in direct contact with the food.
• Where dye migration or bleed cannot be prevented, the ink should not
contain dyes or other migratory colouring agents.
• Although the ink film on the wrapping is extremely thin and is not in direct
food contact and consequently the total quantity of ink involved is like-wise
minutely small and the inks are formulated with deliberate exclusion of
materials known or believed to be toxic, the printing ink raw materials
could contain small quantities of undesirable impurities.
It must be emphasized that printing inks are not food additives and are not
to be used in direct contact with food.
C] Inks for Print in Direct Food Contact: As already
discussed, it is not feasible to formulate inks based on food
additive grade raw materials therefore the printed surface
should not be allowed to come into contact with food and
printing inks are not recommended for direct food contact.

D] Varnishes for Printed Matter: Varnishes applied to printed

matter by any process do not necessarily constitute an
effective barrier between printing ink and food for the
prevention of contamination and any limitations on the use of
printing inks for food stuffs packaging are equally applicable to
varnishes.
Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or
film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the
manufacturing process and materials used, but it also may
be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various
shades.
Coating of varnishes is useful for wood, metal and their
derivatives. It is also useful for plastic and masonry.
When a varnish is applied to the surface of wood or metal, it
dries and leaves a hard and generally transparent coating. Itis
a shiny coating which is applied on a floor or furniture. It dries
clear and luminous. It gives a hard, lustrous and transparent
finish to the surface.
Varnish is prepared from resin, solvent and oil.
Generally, the factors like following affect curing process of a
varnish:
# Temp # Humidity of atmosphere # Components of varnish.

Types of Varnish
Gloss: Produces a smooth surface; the process often applies gloss
over the full surface area or in specific areas. It creates a contrasting
effect while increasing the depth of color and detail. But it also
results in a reflective surface that may interfere with the readability
of text.
Matte: Matte varnish creates a smooth surface and a soft, subtle
appearance. Being a non-reflective surface, it makes texts easy to
read. If you’re looking for a dynamic effect, you’re better off sticking
to gloss. However, several effects are possible with this type of
coating. Also, like spot UV coating, matte varnish can be spot
applied with a high level of precision.
Satin: A combination of matte and gloss varnishes, satin varnish
strikes a balance between medium shine and strong scuff
resistance. The effect of satin varnish allows for a subtle aesthetic. It
almost appears like there is no protective coating on the printed
medium.
Strike-through matte: Strike-through refers to a technique in which
both matte & gloss varnish is coated on the same printed area. A
matte varnish is first applied to all areas of a coated sheet, except
those where a glossy effect is needed.
A high gloss AQ coating floods over the entire sheet to allow the
matte varnish ‘strike-through’ to the surface and leaving the glossy
areas to shine. The intention is to create a visual distinction
between different areas of the press sheet.
Lacquer is used for a number of hard and potentially shiny
finishes applied to materials such as wood or metal. These fall
into a number of very different groups.

Lacquers with high quantities of organic solvent (or solvents),

up to 80% of total weight. The different type of lacquers are :

• Water based (internal)

• Water based (internal)
• UV-cured (external)
• UV-cured (external)
• Epoxyphenolic (internal)
• Epoxyphenolic (external)
 Lacquers used in cans
Requirements for an interior lacquer
• To act as a barrier between container and the food.
• Should not taint the food.
• Should resist physical deformation during can making and
food canning operations.
• Firmly adhere to the metal surface. It must be flexible spread
evenly and completely.
• It must withstand sterilization temperatures. It must be
resistant to acids and sulphide blackening. The problem of
sulphide blackening is overcome by the addition of zinc oxide
to the laquer.

Types of resins currently used

Oleoresinous # Vinyl # Acrylic # Phenolic # Epoxy phenolic.
 Adhesives
Adhesive bonding is the process of uniting materials with the
aid of an adhesive, a substance capable of holding such
materials together by surface attachment. Polymers are widely
used as adhesives because of their versatility.
The primary function of adhesives is to join parts together.
Adhesives do this by transmitting stress from one member to
another in a manner that distributes the stress much more
uniformly than can be achieved with conventional mechanical
fasteners.

Classification of Adhesives
• Waterborne Adhesives
• Hot–melt Adhesives
• Solvent–borne Adhesives
Waterborne Adhesives: This is the oldest, and still, by far,
the largest volume class of adhesive used in packaging.
These adhesives share the general advantages of ease and
safety of handling, energy efficiency, low cost, and high
strength. Waterborne adhesives can further be classified into
two categories - natural and synthetic.

Natural waterborne adhesives include starch, protein,

animal glue, casein and natural rubber latex. The largest class
of natural adhesive is based on starch.

Synthetic waterborne adhesives are the most broadly used

class of adhesives in general packaging. Almost all are resin
emulsions, specifically polyvinyl acetate emulsions - stable
suspensions of polyvinyl acetate particles in water.
Hot–melt Adhesives: Hot-melt adhesives have been the
fastest growing important class of adhesives in packaging for
the last 25 years. Most of the volume goes into high-speed
large-volume case and carton-sealing. Hot melts can be
defined as 100% solids adhesive based on thermoplastic
polymers that are applied when heated in the molten state and
set to form a bond on cooling and solidification. Their chief
attraction is the extremely rapid rate of bond formation, which
can translate into high production rates on a packaging line.

The backbone of any hot-melt is a thermoplastic polymer.

Although almost any thermoplastic can be used, and most
have been, the most widely used material by far is the co-
polymer of Ethylene and Vinyl Acetate (EVA). These
copolymers have an excellent balance of molten stability,
adhesion and toughness over a broad temperature range, as
well as compatibility with many modifiers.
Solvent – borne Adhesives: Rapidly declining, of the three
classes of adhesives used in packaging, solvent-borne
adhesives find use in specialised applications where
waterborne or hot-melt systems do not meet the technical
requirements. Rubber-resin solutions are still used as
pressure-sensitive adhesives for labels and tapes. However,
factors of cost, safety, productivity and above all, compliance
with clean-air law have led to a strong movement towards
waterborne or hot-melt alternatives.
Solvented polyurethane adhesives are widely used in flexible
packaging for the lamination of plastic films. These multilayer
film constructions find application in bags, pouches, wraps for
snack food, meat and cheese packs and boil-in-bag food
pouches. Table 1 gives the important polymer based
adhesives and their applications.
Future Needs
As far as solvent-borne laminating adhesives are concerned,
a complete range of products is already available in India. No
constraints in terms of quality or quantity are envisaged in
future. As newer applications develop, some upgradation may
be required in the high and ultra high performance products.
Judging by the developments that have occurred over the last
ten years, the domestic adhesive manufacturers will be able to
meet these demands.
The growing concern for environmental pollution, safety and
health, and the passage of strict anti-pollution laws -
especially in the advanced countries - are major factors
influencing development in the entire packaging industry. The
limitations on waste disposal by land filling are yielding to
other options such as disposal by incineration and waste
recycling. The strong trend towards recycling and elimination
of waste will only get stronger as time passes.
Environmental regulations already limit & may eventually
eliminate VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions.
These developments have been exerting a strong influence on
the research and development efforts of adhesive
manufacturers. Several options are being examined including
reduction in the use of solvents in solvent borne adhesives,
waterborne adhesive systems, and solvent less adhesive
system. Complete elimination of solvents is still not possible,
especially for high performance applications. This will require
major technological breakthroughs and complete redesign and
re-formulation of adhesive polymers. For low performance
general purpose laminations “high solids” solvent-borne,
water-borne and solvent-less (100% solids) adhesive systems
are already available. Research and development efforts are
focused on improving performance to cover a wider range of
lamination requirements.
Thank You