Smaller, safer and renewable packaging to take center stage at interpack 2017

Packaging from renewable raw materials

Packaging made of bioplastics is on the rise worldwide, be it new materials made from renewable resources or barrier coating of films made from whey. The advantage of whey is that its ingredients are naturally capable of extending the shelf life of foods. However, whey is heat-sensitive, so researchers first have to find a coating formulation that can also be processed at high temperatures. In the context of its ThermoWhey project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging is working on a production process for barrier coatings made of whey protein capable of replacing conventional oil-based polymer coatings.

“More and more food companies rely on packaging from renewable materials that are bio-degradable,” says Fritsche. Alternatives to classical packaging materials like aluminum and plastics are already making increasing inroads into the marketplace. Under its Greenbox label, Bionatic, for example, has developed its first range of some 250 different packaging solutions using renewable or recycled resources such as wood, cellulose, bioplastics and palm leaf. Many of these solutions are biodegradable or can be incinerated pollution-free.

Innovative packaging material with barrier functions

Fritsche says that food manufacturers are also increasingly looking for new, sustainable packaging materials that prevent mineral oil residues and other harmful substances from passing into food from paper and cardboard packaging that contains recycled paper. “Manufacturers of paper and cardboard packaging already offer numerous innovative packaging materials that extend the durability of the packaged product,” she states. Consider that the Corny muesli bar’s steady reduction of an aluminum barrier film wrapper being replaced by a new composite barrier material – without disadvantage to the product.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) extends freshness in baked goods

“MAP has opened up new areas of business for the baking industry,” says Fritsche. “For example, an increasing number of consumers are turning to pre-baked bread and rolls that they heat up at home.” The baked goods are packed and sealed in tubular bags or thermoformed trays. The air in the packaging is replaced by the protective gas adapted to the product. Taste, quality, texture, and nutrients remain unchanged, and depending on the baked good—bread, rolls and baguettes—the product can remain fresh for between five and 20 days when packed in MAP without the addition of any preservatives, she says.

interpack will be held May 4-7 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Resources:

VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association

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