Types of Food Packages

The materials used in the processing of containers or packages for food products include the following types  

These containers usually consist of cylindrical bodies made of paperboard or fiber-board with metal or plastic ends, and are widely used for food packaging. Coated or laminated board may be used with aluminum foil to give good barrier properties. Such tubes or cans are used for some food products, while larger containers, as fiberboard drums, are used as alternatives to paper or plastic sacks or metal drums for other food products [5, 23, 24, 29-33]. 

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Boil-in-bag A type of food packaging foil, plastic, or laminate intend to be dropped into boiling water in order to cook the contents. 

BPA has been detected in air, sod, water, landfill leachate, and the human body. The chemical has been shown to leach into foods and beverages from some types of food packaging (e.g., polycarbonate containers and epoxy lining of metal cans) and reusable containers (von Goetz et al. 2010). People also may be exposed to BPA through skin contact, inhalation, dental fillings, and occupational exposures. BPA has been found in human serum, mUk, saliva, urine, and amniotic fluid (Vandenberg et al. 2009, 2010, 2012). 

Many types of post-consumer plastic packaging that are not recovered by recycling are disposed of in landfills. There are many environmental advantages (see section 3.7) to be achieved by using oxo-biodegradable polyolefins in these applications but safety considerations are equally important. Keller Heckman (the US/Intemational specialist law firm) conducted the certification and validation work for TDPA formulations required by the US Food and Drug Administration. Most TDPA formulations have been cleared for use in any type of food packaging, for any type of food. Likewise, TDPA formulations are considered safe by the SCF (Scientific Committee for Food) of the European Union. 

LSMBSs are designed so that the types of data to be collected meet particular objectives regarding how the data will be used. For example, the number of exemplars collected in the LSMBS will depend on the use planned for the study results. Thus, if the levels of plasticizer in packaged foods will be determined to address an acute (i.e., short-term) dietary exposure and risk concern, the sample size (i.e., number of food packages to be collected) must be adequate to support the higher percentiles... 

The European Commission has mandated the European Committee for Standardization to establish a validated method of analysis for the determination of OMLs and SMLs. If a product complies with the compositional requirements of the directives, i.e., it is produced from authorized monomers and additives, then it may be tested for any desired application. If it meets the migration requirements, it is acceptable for use in cases covered by that test method. Typical food simulants used in the tests are hot water, acetic acid, ethyl alcohol and olive oil. The choice of an appropriate simulant depends on the type of food expected to come into contact with the packaging. 

Multi-layer sheets for use in the mannfacture of food packaging containers were produced by the coextrusion of PP foam in combination with PE, an EVOH barrier layer and tie layers. Results are presented of studies of the mechanical and morphological properties, density and cell stmctnre of foam layers based on different types of PP. 8 refs. 

Plasticizers, antioxidants, and colorants are all potential contaminants of foods that are contained in plastics made with these chemicals. Control of potential migration of plastic components requires testing the containers with food simulants selected to yield information relevant to the intended type of food to be packaged (DeKruyf et al. 1983 Bieber etal. 1984). 

Substances that are intentionally added to food and do not contain any nutritional value are termed food additives. These are added to, or used in the preparation of, food as preservatives or to change its texture, consistency, taste, colour, alkalinity, or acidity. There are several types of food additives, details of which are given below. In Europe food additives are given an E number (see Table 8 for examples), while different code numbers are used in the USA. These numbers appear on the packaging. It has been estimated that there are well over 3,000 different additives, most of which are used purely for cosmetic purposes, and relatively few of which are employed as preservatives or in processing. 

Another variable is the type of food in contact with the active or intelligent packaging. Here there may be liquid contact (e.g. for an oxygen-scavenging crown cork for beer), dry contact (e.g. a preservative releaser for buns) or semi-solid contact (e.g. an oxygen scavenger for processed ham). 

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