Packaging is essential to any food product. It contains, protects, promotes, informs and plays a key role in providing convenience for the consumer.
According to Stefano Rizzato, general manager, tna Southern Europe, plastics are widely used for packaging frozen foods as their characteristics not only maintain the quality of the end product, but are lightweight and allow it to be readily accessible, as well as being able to withstand high temperatures during cooking. By using plastics, manufacturers also benefit from solutions which are flowable and moldable, chemically inert and cost-effective.
One of the main benefits of plastic is that it provides choices in respect of transparency, color, heat sealing, heat resistance and barrier properties. In particular, the barrier properties of plastics are a vital consideration, as these will determine how well the material acts as a physical barrier to any external factors that could be detrimental to the product, such as light, oxygen or moisture. The right material can keep frozen food from drying out and helps preserve its nutritional value, flavor, texture and color. Furthermore, plastic does not interact with food and can be easily integrated with packaging technology such as VFFS systems.
Good frozen food packaging materials should therefore be moisture-resistant, durable, leak-proof and able to prevent dehydration and degradation of the food during its entire shelf life. Excellent temperature stability is also vital as the material needs to withstand both the extremely low temperatures during transportation and storage, as well as extremely high temperatures should the product need to be re-heated in its packaging.
You can read a complete version of this article in our upcoming Frozen Food Digital summer edition.
