STM3163 Food Packaging PDF

STM3163 Food Packaging Packaging Design & Development Chapter 2 Outline At the end of the session, students will be able to: 1 Understand the framework to design and develop food packaging 2 Comprehend typical food packaging development process  Packaging strategy...

STM3163 Food Packaging Packaging Design & Development Chapter 2 Outline At the end of the session, students will be able to: 1 Understand the framework to design and develop food packaging 2 Comprehend typical food packaging development process  Packaging strategy A packaging strategy is a plan that addresses all aspects and all activities involved in delivering the packaged product to the consumer. Packaging is important in marketing function. Distinctive or innovative packaging can be a key to win costumers.  Packaging strategy Considerations: 1. Technical requirements of the product and its packaging to ensure pack functionality and product protection/preservation throughout the pack’s shelf life during distribution and storage until its consumption. 2. Customer’s values of packaging and products for example, aesthetic, flavor, convenience, functional and environmental performance. 3. Marketing requirements for packaging and product innovation to establish a distinct (product/service) brand proposition; protect brand integrity and satisfy anticipated demand at an acceptable profit. 4. Supply chain considerations such as compatibility with existing manufacturing system. 5. Legislation and its operational/financial impacts, for example, regulations regarding food hygiene, labeling, weights, etc. 6. Environmental requirements and their impacts, for example: light-weighting (impact on tax), light weight metallic packaging (for non-sterile food) (environment impact) light weight metallic packaging (for non-sterile food)  Framework for packaging design and development A. Product needs B. Distribution needs C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes D. Consumer needs E. Market needs F. Environmental performance Framework for packaging design and development: A. PRODUCT NEEDS The product and its package should be considered together , i.e. the total product concept. Product characteristics: – The intrinsic mechanism of deterioration. – Its fragility in distribution. – Possible interactions with packaging materials, etc. The greater the value of the product, the higher is the investment in packaging to limit product damage or spoilage. A. PRODUCT NEEDS Nature of the product: – Physical nature: gas, viscous, solid blocks, granules, free-flowing powders, emulsions, pastes, etc. – Chemical or biochemical nature: ingredients, chemical composition, nutritional value. – Dimensions: size and shape – Volume, weight, density  method of fill, dispense, accuracy, legal obligation, etc. – Damage sensitivity: mechanical strength properties or fragility/weaknesses. Product deterioration: intrinsic mechanism including changes such as: – Organoleptic qualities: taste, smell, color, sound, texture. – Chemical breakdown: e.g. vitamin C breakdown. – Chemical changes: e.g. staling of bread. – Biochemical changes: e.g. enzymatic respiration. – Microbiological changes e.g. bacterial count. Product shelf life requirement. Framework for packaging design and development: B. Distribution needs Distribution: the journey of the pack from the point of filling to the point of end use. – May be extended to include packaging reuse, waste recovery and disposal. Distribution environment: – Climatic: that can cause damage to the product as a result of gases, water and water vapor, light (esp. UV), dust, pressure and the effects of heat and cold. – Physical: physical damage can be caused to the product during warehouse storage and distribution that may involve one or more modes of transportation (road, rail, sea, air) and a variety of handling operations (pallet movement, case opening, order picking, etc). – Biological: the environment in which the package interact with pests, e.g. rodents, birds, mites and insects, and microbes. B. DISTRIBUTION NEEDS Distribution needs – the climatic environment Protection requirement against the climatic environment includes: High/low temperature small or extreme variations Moisture ingress or egress Relative humidity condensation, moisture loss or gain Light visible, infra red, UV Gases and vapor ingress/egress - oxygen, moisture, etc Volatiles and odors ingress or egress – aromas, taints Liquid moisture e.g. corrosion due to sea salt Low pressure external pressure /internal pack pressure variation due to change in altitude or aircraft pressurization failure Dust exposure to wind driven particles of sand, grit, etc B. DISTRIBUTION NEEDS Distribution needs – the physical environment Protection against mechanical hazards during storage and transportation caused by: Shocks vertical and horizontal impacts, e.g. from drops, falls, throwing Vibration low frequency vibrations from interactions of road or rail surfaces with vehicle suspension and engines; handling equipment; machinery vibration on ships; high frequency aerodynamic vibration on aircraft. Compression/crushing dynamic or static loading; duration of stacking; restraint Abrasion contact with rough surfaces Puncture contact with sharp objects, e.g. hooks. Racking or deformation uneven support due to poor floors, pallet design, pallet support. Tearing wrong method of handling B. DISTRIBUTION NEEDS Distribution needs – the biological environment Microbes – Bacteria, fungi, moulds, yeasts and viruses Pests – Rodents, insects, mites and birds B. DISTRIBUTION NEEDS Distribution needs – Special packaging features – Ease of distribution: handling, stocking, shipment. – Protection against soiling, stains, leaks, paint flakes, grease or oil and polluted water. – Security in distribution for protection against pilferage, tampering and counterfeiting. – Protection from contamination or leakage of material from adjacent packs. Framework for packaging design and development: C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Packaging materials: glass, tinplate and aluminum, paper and paperboard, plastics. Key properties of glass: – Inert. – Impermeable to gases and vapors. – Rigid. – Brittle and breakable. – Transparent to light and may be colored. – Needs a separate closure. – Can be easily returned and reused. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Key properties of tinplate and aluminium. – Rigid material with a high density for steel and a low density for aluminum. – Good tensile strength. – An excellent barrier to light, liquids and foods. – Needs closures, seams and crimps to form packs. – Can react with product causing dissolution of the metal – Used in many packaging applications: food and beverage cans, aerosol, tubes, trays and drums. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Key properties of paper and paperboard: – Low-density materials. – Poor barriers to light without coatings or laminations. – Poor barriers to liquids gases and vapors unless they are coated, laminated or wrapped. – Can be grease resistant. – Good stiffness. – Can be creased, folded and glued. – Tear easily. – Not brittle, but not so high in tensile as metal. – Excellent substrates for inexpensive printing. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Key properties of plastics: – Wide range of barrier properties. – Permeable to gases and vapors to varying degrees. – Low density materials with a wide range of physical and optical properties. – Tensile and tear strengths are variable. – Functional over a wide range of temperature depending of the type of plastics. – Usually have low stiffness. – Flexible and in certain cases can be creased. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Most packaging operations in food manufacturing are automatic or semi-automatic operations. Packaging machinery is set up to run with a particular type of packaging material. Technical considerations in packaging materials, machinery and production processes: 1. Product/packaging compatibility. Identify any packaging material incompatibilities, e.g. migration and environmental stress cracking of plastics. Is there a need to be compatible during all conditions of distribution and use? Must the package allow gaseous exchange? E.g. to allow respiration of fruits and vegetables. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Technical considerations in packaging materials, machinery and production processes: 2. Method of processing the product  either in the package or independent of it. Elevated thermal treatment: e.g. retort sterilization and pasteurization, cooking, hot filling, drying, blanching, UHT aseptic, ohmic heating, microwave processing. Low temperature treatments: freezing, chilling, cooling. Gas change or flush: modified atmosphere gassing. Removal of air: vacuumizing. Chemical: smoking, sugaring, salting, curing, pickling. Fermentation: e.g. bacterial fermentation of carbohydrate. Irradiation: e.g. gamma rays to kill pathogens in poultry, herbs and spices Others: irradiation, high pressure processing. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Technical considerations in packaging materials, machinery and production processes: 3. Closure performance. Does the seal need to provide the same degree of integrity as the packaging materials? Re-closure requirement to protect or contain unused portion? Degree of protection required against leakage? Degree of seal strength and type of seal testing method? Application torque and opening torque requirement of caps and closures. C. Packaging materials, machinery and production processes Technical considerations in packaging materials, machinery and production processes: 4. Other requirements of packaging in production: Machinery for container forming. Materials handlings. Filling, check-weighing and metal detection. Sealing, capping or seaming. Labeling/coding. Casing. Shrink-wrapping; stretch-wrapping. Palletization. Labor requirements. Framework for packaging design and development: D. Consumer needs & wants Packaging is critical for: – Consumer’s first impression of a product. – Conveying processed image perception to consumer, e.g. freshly packed/prepared, chilled, frozen, UHT aseptic, in-can sterilized, dried. – Communicating special message, e.g. healthy eating image, etc. D. Consumer needs & wants Consumer needs of packaging: – Quality: processing and packaging for retention of flavor, nutrition, texture, color, freshness, acceptability, etc. – Information: product information, legibility, brand, method of use, etc. – Convenience: ease of access, opening and disposal, microwavable, etc. – Product availability: product available at all times. – Variety: a wide range or products in variety of pack sizes, design and pack types. – Health: e.g. enables the provision of extended or long shelf life foods, without the use of preservatives. – Safety: the prevention of product contamination and tampering. – Environment: environmental compatibility (weight, degradation..).  E. Market needs & wants (requirements from retailer) Factors influencing retail trade acceptability of a packaging: – Sales appeal to target costumer: consumer profile, product usage and perceptions. – Retail competition: local, regional retail formats and offerings. – Retail environment: lighting, aisle, shelf depth/spacing, etc. – Brand competition: retailer’s own brand vs. manufacturers’ brands. – Brand image/positioning: quality, price, value, healthy, modern, ethical, etc. Brand ‘persona’: combined design elements match the psychographic/ demographic profile of targeted customer. – Brand impact/differentiation: aesthetic (color, shape, material type, etc), functional (dispensing, pouring, opening, etc). – Brand promotion: character merchandising, money-off, free extra product, competitions, etc – Brand communication/ presentation: advertising, merchandising, labeling, typography, logos, symbols, etc. – Consumer & brand protection: tamper-evident/ resistant features. – Retail customer service: e.g. efficient bar code scanning and pack unitization for fast service at check-out, hygiene, ease of access to pack units, etc. – Retailer’s margin: e.g. packaging design to increase display area on shelf for a minimum turnover of money per unit length of shelf space. E. Market needs & wants A key to win the competition for a product manufacturer may depend on how quickly and effectively it responds to retailer’s need for: – Minimal stockholding. – High product turnover. – Optimal level of fill on shelf. – Efficient handling practice. – Product integrity. E. Market needs & wants Packaging characteristics that are valued in multiple retail logistics and distribution: – Meets the retailer guidelines for acceptable packaging: pallet type, size and security; pack stability, handling, opening features, bar code scan, ease of read, minimum pack damage, hygiene, etc. – Minimize overall distribution cost: storage, inventory, transport, store labor costs, etc. – Facilitates logistics service requirements to be met: product availability, reliability and responsiveness, e.g. efficient consumer response (ECR), just-in-time (JIT) delivery, modular packaging system for efficient distribution, retail shelf space utilization and ease of merchandising operations. – Returnable packaging systems: waste minimization, e.g. plastic tray systems for fruit, vegetables, meat and baked products. – Shelf life extension: e.g. perishable product availability, reduced spoilage, stock rationalization and reduced inventory costs.  F. Environment & packaging Environmental performance of packaging: – Resource efficiency in pack manufacture: energy, water, materials. – Waste minimization in production and distribution: energy, water, materials, pollutants. – Waste recovery: reuse, recycle, composting incineration with energy recovery. – Waste disposal: landfill, incineration (pollutants), biodegradation, photo- degradation. Light-weight packaging materials are more appreciated now. – Food cans – about 50% lighter than 50 years ago. – Yogurt pots – about 60% lighter than 30 years ago. – PET bottles for carbonated drinks – about 1/3 lighter than almost 30 years ago. – Drinks carton – about 15% lighter than 10 years ago.  A typical food packaging development process Step 1: Determine product/package requirements. Step 2: Select package materials & equipment. Step 3: Evaluate prototype packages. Step 4: Test packaging system in market.  Packaging development Step 1: Determine product/package requirements – Definition of the food product properties as they relate to package technical requirements. Formulation Processing Stability to light, O2 and H2O – Description of consumer and consumer use. – Definition of package technical and functional requirements. – Definition of package marketing  structural and graphic design requirements. Desired shelf life. Distribution chain. Cost constraints. Product positioning. Package size. – Identification of legal and regulatory requirements.  Packaging development Step 2: Select package materials & packaging equipment – Creation of alternatives and selection of potential package designs and materials. Purchase specifications. – Work with suppliers of packaging materials and machines to identify options. – Determine cost and availability. Work closely with product development team to better understand possible issues relating to packaging. Involvement of production and engineering for equipment. – Estimate of the probable time, resource requirements and cost of development. Existing equipment. Plant capability. Cost per unit calculation. Timing is critical to package design. Identify potential issues that may delay timeline. Compare stock versus custom package.  Packaging development Step 3: Evaluate prototype packages: – QA specifications. Sample package preparation and testing for technical performance, consumer opinion and economic feasibility. Testing methods for materials Conduct product/package interaction testing. Evaluation of package materials and structures for the assurance of absence of defects that can adversely affect the food content. – Conduct shelf life testing to determine quality retention at ambient and elevated temperatures. – Conduct distribution testing to determine robustness and integrity of package. Suggest added caution when considering offshore naturals and structures for reliability, quality and toxicity issues. – Evaluate feasibility of scale-up at final production facility. Scale-up package at production facility is important prior to initial run to identify potential process issues. – Decision to proceed to marketing test.  Packaging development Step 4: Test packaging system in market – Produce final food packages. – Confirm all major requirements are met. – Consumer testing. – Market testing, if applicable. Feedback and remediation. – Monitor consumer feedback during test market. – Refine package/process design if necessary. – Market launch.  List of references Lee, D. S., Yam, K. L. And Piergiovanni, L. (2008). Food packaging science and technology. Bota Racon: Taylor & Francis. Coles, R., McDowell, D. and Kirwan, M. J. (eds). (2003). Food Packaging Technology. Oxford: CRC Press.