Freshness extended

FOOD manufacturers have a diverse range of innovative packaging to keep fruits, vegetables, raw meat and fish, as well as pre-cooked foods, fresh and crisp for an extended time. A longer shelf life, even an addition of just a day, can cut cost significantly on the part of the food supplier and retailer. The development of ‘smarter’ bio-based packaging to protect against external conditions and contaminants will continue to drive trends.

Take the N-Gage, a peelable lidding film from Amcor. The genius behind the design lies not only on the high barrier performance but the fact that it seals directly onto APET trays, unlike other lidding films.  This saves manufacturers on change-over time, waste, transport and Green Dot. According to Philippe Sherrer, marketing director, the design cuts the cost of a typical application by 10% to 20%. The N-Gage also comes with a colour-changing rim tamper-evident feature. 

Still in the prototype stage, ITENE’s active packaging extends the shelf life of cut fruit and vegetables and meat by 10% to 20%, according to Jose Bermudez, project manager. The Spain-based research centre has also developed smart plastic packaging whose label uses colour-changing ink to indicate the degree of freshness.

The TenderPac system from Sealpac uses ActiveStick to absorb juices from the meat, eliminating the need to repackage

The new TenderPac system introduced by Sealpac for meat producers has two-compartment to allow the meat and its juices to remain separate. This separation has two obvious benefits, that to maintain product freshness (colour, texture and flavour) and to make sure the meat juices do not drip down the tray. The ActiveStick, another product by the company, absorbs the juices within the packaging. And since the meat product also looks fresh and neat (no messy juices on the packaging),

TenderPac technology eliminates one step from the process – repackaging.

The NatureFlex compostable cellulose from Innovia Films has been used in many products, and one of the latest is for Dutch Organic International Trade (DO-IT) which needed packaging for processed foods. Together with partner Bio4Pack, Innovia came up with a laminate structure called BTI 43 suitable for dry/moist products such as cheese, pasta, cereal and even meat.

The BTI 43 packaging, featuring NatureFlex film, is designed for dry and moist products

“This development is the first of many using Innovia Films’ NatureFlex.  We liked recommending and using NatureFlex in this application because it fits perfectly not only with the ethos of DO-IT, but also because of the barrier properties it can bring to a laminate pack structure,” said Patrick Gerritsen from Bio4Pack, a company that belongs to the Sylvaphane group.

“As a company working only in the organic products’ arena, the fact that NatureFlex is compostable, from renewable resources and can open up many packaging possibilities to us, such as extending shelf life is very exciting indeed,” said Dik Goorhuis, chief commercial officer, DO-IT.

“The Bio4Pack/Innovia Films partnership is one of several that we are developing across the globe with key industry players to ensure we can meet demand for innovative, bespoke bio based packaging solutions,” said Andy Sweetman, Innovia Films’ marketing manager, Packaging & Sustainability.

Micvac packaging keeps pre-cooked food fresher and ready for the microwave

Micvac’s two-compartment tray targets suppliers of chilled ready meals. It is the latest addition to the company’s microwaveable packaging, and features two sections and one re-closeable valve, according to H?kan Pettersson, Micvac managing director. The patented valve whistles to announce that the meal is ready to taken out of the microwave.

French company, Limagtain Cérealés Ingredients (LCI) manufactures Biolice.bags with a new-generation of compostable resin specifically designed for thin bags for fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as shopping bags that require precise cutting and printing.  Made from maize flour, the resin is rigid, resistant and offers better printing quality.Air Jordan XXXI Low