Principles Food Packaging Functions of Food Packaging 1
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Principles Food packaging Functions of food packaging 1. Physical protection Packaging is protection of food against variety of assaults which may occur during processing and distribution. Such assaults include:- Physical damage Chemical attack Contamination from biological vectors such as:- I. Microorganism II. Insects III. Rodents Environmental factor such as :- I. Oxygen II. Water vapour (as they will spoil the food if allowed to enter the package freely Many foods would not survive distribution without physical damage was it not for the protection afforded by packaging. Therefore, the paramount function of packaging is to preserve the food 2. Barrier protection Packaging must aid consumers in using products. Food packaging should have the features which make the product easier to utilize and add convinence.this may be as simple as closure after partial use or as complicated as aiding in the microwave cooking of a product A barrier from oxygen, water vapor, dust, etc., is often required. Permeation is a critical factor in design. Some packages contain desiccants or Oxygen absorbers to help extend shelf life. Modified atmospheres or controlled atmospheres are also maintained in some food packages. Keeping the contents clean, fresh, and safe for the intended shelf life is a primary function. Many food products are reality standards food packaged in a new way that aids in the preparation also can have tamper-evident features to help indicate tampering. Packages can be engineered to help reduce the risks of package pilferage. Some package constructions are more resistant to pilferage and some have pilfered indicating seals. Packages may include authentication seals to help indicate that the package and contents are not counterfeit. Packages also can include anti-theft devices, such as dye- packs, RFID tags, or electronic article surveillance tags, that can be activated or detected by devices at exit points and require specialized tools to deactivate. Using packaging in this way is a means of prevention. Or storage. Aseptically packaged milk is an example 3. Containment or agglomeration Packaging also serves to unitize or group product together in useful numbers or amounts in some cases this might be an amount used at a single time like most canned foods 4. Information transmission Food packaging must also be able to communicate and educate. It’s the package which identifies the products for the consumer. In addition to convincing consumers to buy a product, contents or amount of product contained, ingredients, nutritional content and other pertinent information Much of this information is required by specific laws in many countries. Packaging of materials must be economical given the value of the food products 5. Security - Packaging can play an important role in reducing the security risks of shipment. Packages can be made with improved tamper resistance to deter tampering and The label of packaged food shows:- A. Cooking time B. number of servings, C.display until' date, 'use by' date, D. weight in kg, E. price, price to F. weight ratio in both £/kg and £/lb, G.freezing and storage instructions. It says 'Less than 3% Fat' and 'No Carbs per serving' H. barcode. I. Union Flag, 6. Marketing – The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. Package design has been an important and constantly evolving phenomenon for several decades. Marketing communications and graphic design are applied to the surface of the package and (in many cases) the point of sale display. 7. Convenience – Packages can have features which add convenience in distribution, handling, stacking, display, sale, opening, reclosing, use, and reuse. 8. Portion control - Single serving packaging has a precise amount of contents to control usage. Bulk commodities (such as salt) can be divided into packages that are a more suitable size for individual households. It also aids the control of inventory: selling sealed one- liter-bottles of milk, rather than having people bring their own bottles to fill themselves. REQUIREMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE FOOD PACKAGING Some of the most important general requirements of the food packaging are that:- a).be nontoxic b).protect against contamination from microorganisms c).act as a barrier to moisture loss or gain and oxygen ingress d) Protect against ingress of odours or environmental toxicants e) Filter out harmful UV light f).provide resistance to physical damage f) Be transparent g) Be tamper restant or tamper evident h) Be easy to open i) Have dispensing and resealing features Food packaging types Food packaging can be divided into:- Primary Secondary Tertiary A. primary a primary c comes in direct contact with the food.eg a can or a jar.obviousy,primary containers must be nontoxic and compatible with the food and cause no colour,flavour,or other foreign chemical reaction B.secondary Secondary container is an outer box, case, or wrapper that holds or unitizes several cans, jars or pouches together but doesn’t contact the food directly. Secondary containers are a necessary part of food packaging. It would not be possible to distribute products in class jars, for example, without the corrugated secondary cartons to protect against breakage.as pointed in primary (those contacting foods)have several important functions Secondary must protect primary from damage during shipment and storage.they must also prevent dirt and contaminants from soiling the primary containers and must unitize groups of primary containers. Tertiary. Tertiary containers group several secondary cartons into pallet loads or shipping units. The objective is to aid in the automated handling of large amounts of products Drink boxes, an example of aseptic processing The above materials are fashioned into different types of food packages and containers such as: Packaging Type of Example Type Container Aseptic Primary Liquid whole eggs processing Plastic trays Primary Portion of fish Bags Primary Potato chips Boxes Secondary Box of Cola Cans Primary Can of Tomato soup. Cartons Primary Carton of eggs Flexible Primary Bagged salad packaging A series of boxes on a single pallet used to transport from the Pallets Tertiary manufacturing plant to a distribution center. Used to wrap the boxes on the Wrappers Tertiary pallet for transport. Primary packaging is the main package that holds the food that is being processed. Secondary packaging combines the primary packages into one box being made. Tertiary packaging combines all of the secondary packages into one pallet. There are also special containers that combine different technologies for maximum durability: Bags-in-boxes (used for soft drink syrup, other liquid products, and meat products) Wine box (used for wine) Packaging machines Automated palletizer of bread with industrial KUKA robots at a bakery in Germany Packaged apples A choice of packaging machinery includes:- - technical capabilities - labor requirements, worker safety - maintainability Serviceability. - Reliability. -ability to integrate into the packaging line -capital cost -floor space - Flexibility (change-over, materials, etc.) - Energy usage. - quality of outgoing packages - qualifications (for food, pharmaceuticals, etc.), throughput, efficiency, productivity, ergonomics, etc. Packaging machines M ay be of the following general types: Auto coding label and date verification Blister, Skin and Vacuum Packaging Machines Capping, Over-Capping, Lidding, Closing, Seaming and Sealing Machines Cartooning machines Case and Tray Forming, Packing, Unpacking, Closing and Sealing Machines Check weighing machines Cleaning, Sterilizing, Cooling and Drying Machines Conveying, Accumulating and Related Machines Feeding, Orienting, Placing and Related Machines Filling Machines: handling liquid and powdered products Package Filling and Closing Machines Form, Fill and Seal Machines Inspecting, Detecting and Check weighing Machines Palletizing, DE palletizing, Pallet Unitizing and Related Machines Product Identification: labeling, marking, etc. Wrapping Machines Converting Machines Other specialty machinery Reducing food packaging -Reduced packaging and sustainable packaging are becoming more frequent. The motivations can be government regulations, consumer pressure, retailer pressure, and cost control. (Reduced packaging often saves packaging costs -could be recycled Proper disposing of food packaging Main article: Recycling § Rinsing After use, or after passing the "use by" date, any organic matter that is still in the food packaging needs to be separated from the packaging. This may also require rinsing of the food packaging (preferably with rainwater). Trends in food packaging Main article: Active packaging Numerous reports industry associations agree that use of smart indicators will increase. There are a number of different indicators with different benefits for food producers, consumers and retailers Temperature recorders are used to monitor products shipped in a cold chain and to help validate the cold chain. Digital temperature data loggers measure and record the temperature history of food shipments. They sometimes have temperatures displayed on the indicator or have other output (lights, etc.). The data from a shipment can be downloaded (cable, RFID, etc.) to a computer for further analysis. These help identify if there has been temperature abuse of products and can help determine the remaining shelf life They can also help determine the time of temperature extremes during shipment