Packaging: flexible pouches

Packaging Material Glass, PET, can, flexible pouch, carton... 

Innovation in the fabric softener business not only focused on compositions, but also on packaging. As an alternative to plastic bottles, heat-sealed flexible polyethylene pouches were introduced to the market in the early 1980s [7], followed by several other containers free-standing flexible pouches with a solid base, different bag in a box rigid units, and refill cartons coated with chemically resistant polymers. These novelties led to a 40% reduction in plastic bottle consumption, the use of more biodegradable, renewable, easily recycled material, and a decrease in the packaging and distribution cost. New bottles made of 100% post consumer recycled plastic sandwiched between two layers of virgin resin also became available [7],... 

PP has inherent good barrier properties and high clarity, in addition to proper radiation resistance. Properties which made PP one of the best candidates in medical devices and packaging applications (parenteral nutrition and dialysis films, blister packaging and flexible pouches, syringes, tubing, hospital disposables, test tubes, beakers and pipettes). Medical grade PP is used mostly as blown, cast films and also as coextruded layered structures. 

Edible coatings cannot be typically considered packages bnt rather physical food protecting barriers, which can additionally act as carriers of active and/or bioactive substances and controlled release of flavor molecules, giving them an added-valne. Edible film can carry active components, snch as flavors and other food additives, in the form of hard capsules, soft gel capsules, microcapsules, soluble strips, flexible pouches, coatings on hard particles, and others. ... 

This system is ideal for thermoformed trays with porous lids and flexible pouches with one porous side. The test has been shown to detect leaks as small as 0.002 in. Guidmt and Medtronic have demonstrated the reliability of detecting leaks in blind tests and have quantified 100 percent of the purposely manufactured leaks in thermoformed trays (Hacked, 1996). In addition, there were no false positive readings in any of the unaltered packages. 

Many medical products have moved from rigid to flexible packages. Kendall Health Care switched from a thermoformed tray to a flexible pouch for a urine collection assembly used in hospitals and achieved a waste volume reduction of about 50%. Medchem changed hemostat packaging from a glass jar inside a foil-lined container to a plastic tray in a pouch and achieved an 80% reduction in packaging by weight [13]. 

Ontario, Canada, has had a deposit system for HDPE mUk bottles for a number of years, charging 25 cents per bottle, which is one of the reasons why mUk sold in flexible pouches has been popular. The deposit system is mandated by Regulation 344, Disposable Containers for Milk, of the Environmental Protection Act. When the government considered discontinuing the system in 1999, Ontario milk producers, retailers, and packaging suppliers objected. ... 

More recently in the United States, Campbell Soup Co. has successfully launched a new line of microwaveable, ready-to-eat plastic cans. These cans are constructed from a molded thermoplastic can body (polypropylene, high density polyethylene) and an easy-open-end (EOE) of coated metal. In addition, flexible pouches have made inroad as an alternative for metal cans in certain markets such as packaged tuna fish. 

Performance Specification Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches. US Army Soldier Biological Chemical Command Natick Soldier Center. 4 September 2001.1-15. 

Some flexible packaging is fabricated by converters into bags and pouches. Bag material is either small monolayer or large multiwall with paper as a principal substrate. Pouches are small and made from laminations. Bags usually contain a heat-sealed or adhesive-bonded seam mnning the length of the unit and a cross-seam bonded in the same fashion. 

Example of an HACCP System. The HACCP system can be used to ensure production of a safe cooked, sHced turkey breast with gravy, which has been vacuum packaged in a flexible plastic pouch and subjected to a final heat treatment prior to distribution (37). Raw turkey breasts are trimmed, then injected with a solution containing sodium chloride and sodium phosphate. Next, the meat is placed into a tumbler. After tumbling, the meat is stuffed into a casing, placed onto racks, and moved into a cook tank, where it is cooked to an internal temperature of at least 71.1°C (160°F). After... 

As a result of extensive development and testing by thermoprocessing or aseptic techniques, the use of flexible, laminated aluminum pouches and formed aluminum containers for shelf-stable foods is nearing commercial reality. The increasing use of aluminum for food packaging has been made possible by successfully combining it with specialized plastics, papers, adhesives, and coatings. In many applications, aesthetic as well as protective characteristics are also provided. 

T oods packaged in flexible containers and processed for commercial sterilization are a part of the trend toward improved quality in convenience foods. The retorted pouch has the package integrity of the metal can coupled with the food quality, reheating, and serving convenience of frozen, boil-in-the-bag foods (1). Its use for combat rations has especially interested military R D personnel because of the functional advantages over the metal can (2). 

Irradiation Conditions. The gamma (cobalt-60) radiation facility and the source calibration are described by Holm and Jarrett (4). Irradiation temperature was 21 (initial) - 40°C (final). The gamma source was calibrated with the ferrous sulfate/cupric sulfate dosimeter for a dose rate of 8 X 102 rads per second. Pouches were fabricated from multilayered materials and then irradiated while empty. The container used to hold the multilayered materials and the empty pouches during irradiation was a large size, flexible package that was sealed under vacuum prior to the irradiation. 

Therrtial Sterilization of Pouches of Beef. Methodology for food thermoprocessing in cylindrical metal containers assured food sterility in flexible packages. Beef slices (1.25 cm thick) were steam cooked to an internal temperature of 72°C and vacuum sealed in pouches to give a fill of 120 g. These pouches of beef were processed in a standard retort with complete water circulation and a superimposed air pressure of 1.7 X 105 Pa. The retort schedule—a 40-minute cook at 118°C plus come-up time followed by a 30-minute cooling time—achieved a F0 (lethality value) of 6. 

Copolymers of ethylene with up to 15-20% acrylic or methacrylic acid offer improved adhesion, abrasion resistance, toughness, and low-temperature flexibility compared to EVA. Applications include extrusion coatings on aluminum foil for pouches, wire and cable, packaging film, laminations with metal and glass fibers (building and automotive products) and polyurethane (carpet backing). 

A typical container closure system is a plastic (usually HDPE) bottle with a screw-on or snap-off closure and a flexible packaging system, such as a pouch or a blister package. A typical closure consists of a cap — often with a liner — frequently with an inner seal. If used, fillers, desiccants, and other absorbent materials are considered primary packaging components. 

The most common forms of flexible packaging are the blister package and the pouch. A blister package usually consists of a lid material and a forming film. The lid material is usually a laminate, which includes a barrier layer (e.g., aluminum foil) with a print primer on one side and a sealing agent (e.g., a heat-sealing lacquer) on the other side. 

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