Technology Of Polymer Packaging

Food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, home-care materials, and many more essential products for modern life: all require appropriate packaging, and polymers very often provide the optimal solution. Based on the author's popular course on polymer packaging at the University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Technology of Polymer Packaging provides an essential, user-friendly introduction to the field of polymer packaging suitable for students, people in industry, and particularly all those who deal with packaging but have a background other than that of a polymer technologist or packaging specialist.

This book focuses on food, non-food, and industrial packaging applications of polymers, blends, nanostructured materials, macro, micro and nanocomposites, and renewable and biodegradable materials. It details physical, thermal, and barrier properties as well as sustainability, recycling, and regulatory issues. The book emphasizes interdisciplinary research on processing, morphology, structure, and properties as well as applications in packaging of food and industrial products. It is useful for chemists, physicists, materials scientists, food technologists, and engineers.

This book delineates the scientific principles of design and fabrication of packaging materials for food as well as methods for structural modification and other techniques. It describes the main practical properties and applications of polymer materials and highlights the analysis of all processes taking place during formations and destruction of polymer packaging materials. Methods such as electron microscopy, infrared microscopy and optical polarization were used to describe the behaviour of polymer materials and their composition.

Polymers are an important part in everyday life; products made from polymers range from sophisticated articles, such as biomaterials, to aerospace materials. One of the reasons for the great popularity exhibited by polymers is their ease of processing. Polymer properties can be tailored to meet specific needs by varying the "atomic composition" of the repeat structure, by varying molecular weight and by the incorporation (via covalent and non-covalent interactions) of an enormous range of compounds to impart specific activities. In food science, the use of polymeric materials is widely explored, from both an engineering and a nutraceutical point of view. Regarding the engineering application, researchers have discovered the most suitable materials for intelligent packaging which preserves the food quality and prolongs the shelf-life of the products. Furthermore, in agriculture, specific functionalized polymers are used to increase the efficiency of treatments and reduce the environmental pollution. In the nutraceutical field, because consumers are increasingly conscious of the relationship between diet and health, the consumption of high quality foods has been growing continuously. Different compounds (e.g. high quality proteins, lipids and polysaccharides) are well known to contribute to the enhancement of human health by different mechanisms, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary disease, and hypertension. This first volume, of this two volume book, concerns the application of polymers in food packaging.

The protection and preservation of a product, the launch of new products or re-launch of existing products, perception of added-value to products or services, and cost reduction in the supply chain are all objectives of food packaging. Taking into consideration the requirements specific to different products, how can one package successfully meet all of these goals? Food Packaging Technology provides a contemporary overview of food processing and packaging technologies. Covering the wide range of issues you face when developing innovative food packaging, the book includes: Food packaging strategy, design, and development Food biodeterioation and methods of preservation Packaged product quality and shelf life Logistical packaging for food marketing systems Packaging materials and processes The battle rages over which type of container should be used for which application. It is therefore necessary to consider which materials, or combination of materials and processes will best serve the market and enhance brand value. Food Packaging Technology gives you the tools to determine which form of packaging will meet your business goals without compromising the safety of your product.

This volume acquaints the reader with the technologies that can be used to convert a limited number of polymers into a myriad of packaging formats. It is directed at packaging technologists and those involved in the design and development of packaging.

Food Packaging: Advanced Materials, Technologies, and Innovations is a one-stop reference for packaging materials researchers working across various industries. With chapters written by leading international researchers from industry, academia, government, and private research institutions, this book offers a broad view of important developments in food packaging. Presents an extensive survey of food packaging materials and modern technologies Demonstrates the potential of various materials for use in demanding applications Discusses the use of polymers, composites, nanotechnology, hybrid materials, coatings, wood-based, and other materials in packaging Describes biodegradable packaging, antimicrobial studies, and environmental issues related to packaging materials Offers current status, trends, opportunities, and future directions Aimed at advanced students, research scholars, and professionals in food packaging development, this application-oriented book will help expand the reader’s knowledge of advanced materials and their use of innovation in food packaging.

Many foods depend on additives for safety, stability or preservation. Foods are packaged to protect them and keep them in good condition while they are delivered to shops, stacked on shelves or stored at home. The packaging material has to both preserve the food and to protect it from deterioration, outside contamination or damage during distribution and storage; and the packaging material in direct contact with a food must not itself harm, or be harmed by, the food. The packaging material for a particular food must therefore be carefully selected with these considerations in mind. This book is designed to help current and prospective researchers in this field, understand the theory of food safety in plastic packaging. It will be of interest to anyone who uses polymeric food packaging.