Developments in bakery & confectionery packaging

THE bakery and confectionery trade has been calling for the increase of mixed packaging, not only with boiled sweets, chocolates and fine baked goods, but also with all kinds of products, as space on the shelves is limited and consumers value variety. What's more, the rapidly changing packaging units and a trend towards seasonal packaging cry out for flexible solutions in packaging technology. Convenience and product differentiation are key to establishing market presence. Moreover, greater awarenes s and understanding of sustainability worldwide means that more companies are focusing on sustainable packaging, and analysts expect this segment to surpass $42 billion by 2010. Tube and clip to differentiate Ready-to-use products such as cookie dough, pastes and marzipan can be packaged economically even while extending shelf life. These extruded products can be packed in tubular film that is one of the most reliable, hygienic and cost-saving on the market: the 揷lip-pak?method from Germany's Polystep Clip Systems, which allows the product to be filled and shaped like a sausage. Following the discharge of the product from a filling machine or a pump, the end of one clip-pak and the beginning of the next are closed in a so-called double clip process. Nowadays, marzipan for bakers and confectioners is usually supplied in blocks, cubes or rolls wrapped in foil. Private households can buy the product in small packets also wrapped in foil. Neither type of packaging is impenetrable to water vapor, oxygen, and bacteria, as the packaging is not hermetically sealed. Due to the high sugar content of the products, they are highly susceptible to bacteria and fungicides. As there is no barrier to water vapor and oxygen, the product also dries out very easily. This severely impairs the taste and restricts the storage period. It is also a disadvantage that the marzipan must be placed in a mould after mixing and has then to be taken out of the mould again, to be packed in an additional Polystep. This is usually done under clean room conditions to keep the exposure to bacteria and moulds as low as possible. In contrast, the primary advantage of packaging products such as marzipan, which is extremely sensitive to bacteria, using clip-pak is provided by directly packing the product into the final packaging during production. Usually, a portion stuffer is used for filling. As the product is highly viscous a strong stuffer, bakery version, must be used. The viscosity of the product rises with an increase in the sugar content ?normally between 50 and 60% ?and thus the difficulty in filling tightly and free from air. Plastic casings as well as film tubes are used to produce clip-paks. When plastic casings are used, these must not be soaked. Otherwise, considerable hygiene problems may arise, as the product is not heat treated after packing. When selecting casings, care has to be taken that these can be clipped easily when dry. In addition, a very good oxygen and water vapor barrier is required. An insufficient oxygen barrier would lead to oxidation of the marzipan and thus to spoiling of the product. An insufficient water vapor barrier would let water diffuse from the inside to the outside of the film. Although this would not lead to spoiling of the product, it would dry out. The volume would reduce and the packaging would wrinkle and look unattractive. The size of the casings can range from 300g for household and small bakery operations to 20, 50 and 100 kilograms for industrial use. Using the TSCA 65 for calibers up to 65mm and lengths up to 360mm is particularly advantageous. Poly-clip System's sealing and clipping machines, such as the TSCA 120 can be smoothly uNike Air Max