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Glass Packaging is recognised as the gold standard for food
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Monday, 18 July, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Anita Bajpai
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fiogf49gjkf0d fiogf49gjkf0d Introduction
New trends in packaging are focussing on structure modification of packaging materials and the development of new active and/or intelligent systems, which can interact with the product or its environment, improve the conservation of beverages such as wine, juice or beer, ensure customer acceptability, and enhance food security.
Packaging has been a key to the evolution of modern fast-moving consumer goods retailing that in turn has spurred on packaging developments to meet its requirements. The most significant development for the food packaging supply industries has been the emergence of large retail groups. Historically, food packaging has been developed to contain food products, maintain food quality, and inform consumers about the properties of the enclosed product. These primary functions are often stated as containment, protection, and communication (Coles and others 2003).
Packaging may also be defined as a means to safely and cost-effectively deliver products to the consumer in accordance with the marketing strategy of the organisation. Packaging strategy is a plan that addresses all aspects and all activities involved in delivering the packaged product to the consumer. Packaging strategy should be allied to clearly defined marketing and manufacturing strategies that are consistent with the corporate strategy or mission of the business.
Value of Packaging
The value of food packaging to society has never been greater nor, paradoxically, has packaging attracted so much adverse media publicity and political attention. In response, stakeholders in the food industries need to fully appreciate and actively promote the positive contributions that their packaging makes to the quality of life. Food packaging is governed by a mass of laws, regulations, codes of practice and guidelines. Packaging is constantly changing with the introduction of new materials, technology and processes. These may be due to the need for improved product quality, productivity, logistics service, environmental performance and profitability. A change in packaging materials, however, may have implications for consumer acceptance.
Food packaging can retard product deterioration, retain the beneficial effects of processing, extend shelf-life, and maintain or increase the quality and safety of food. In doing so, packaging provides protection from three major classes of external influences: chemical, biological, and physical. Chemical protection minimises compositional changes triggered by environmental influences such as exposure to gases (typically oxygen), moisture (gain or loss), or light (visible, infrared, or ultraviolet). Many types of packaging materials can provide a chemical barrier. Glass and metals provide a nearly absolute barrier to chemical and other environmental agents, but few packages are purely glass or metal since closure devices are added to facilitate both filling and emptying.
Closure devices may contain materials that allow minimal levels of permeability. For example, plastic caps have some permeability to gases and vapours, as do the gasket materials used in caps to facilitate closure and in metal can lids to allow sealing after filling. Plastic packaging offers a large range of barrier properties but is generally more permeable than glass or metal. Biological protection provides a barrier to microorganisms (pathogens and spoiling agents), insects, rodents, and other animals, thereby preventing disease and spoilage. In addition, biological barriers maintain conditions to control senescence (ripening and ageing). Such barriers function via a multiplicity of mechanisms, including preventing access to the product, preventing odour transmission, and maintaining the internal environment of the package. Physical protection shields food from mechanical damage and includes cushioning against the shock and vibration encountered during distribution.
Typically developed from paperboard and corrugated materials, physical barriers resist impacts, abrasions and crushing damage, so they are widely used as shipping containers and as packaging for delicate foods such as eggs and fresh fruits. Appropriate physical packaging also protects consumers from various hazards.
Packaging Materials and Glass
Materials that have traditionally been used in food packaging include glass, metals (aluminium,foils and laminates, tinplate, and tin-free steel), paper and paperboards, and plastics. The right selection of the packaging material plays an important role in maintaining product quality and freshness during distribution and storage.
In many developing countries the most commonly used packaging materials include leaves, vegetable fibre, wood, papers, newsprint, earthenware, glass, plastics and metals. Packaging materials designed to have antimicrobial activity provide a hurdle for microbial growth but seldom act alone as the key shelf life limiting factor.
In food packaging applications, glass has long been recognised as the gold standard, due in significant part to its being virtually inert, meaning that it does not react with other elements and forms no new compounds when it comes into contact with other chemical agents or compounds. As a result of this virtually inert quality, glass does not interact with the foods or a beverage contained in it, and consequently does not affect the flavour of its contents. Similarly, glass is virtually impermeable to oxygen, so does not affect -and is indeed protective of -the freshness of its contents. Consequently, glass does not require the addition of any food additives or preservatives in order to maintain flavour or freshness, unlike many other food packaging materials. Glass has long been recognised as the preferred material for food packaging, due to this virtually inert quality and its protection of the food or beverage that it contains.
Glass is made from three ingredients—sand, lime, and soda ash—glass is endlessly recyclable and retains the same quality through recycling after recycling, making it a superior option for food packaging. Because it is virtually inert and highly stable, and does not intentionally contain, nor is manufactured with the addition of, extraneous contaminants, virgin or recycled glass is preferable to other packaging options from an environmental perspective, because it does not break down into harmful chemicals in the earth or bodies of water. Moreover, because glass is virtually inert and non-reactive to its contents, and can be cleaned and sterilised easily, glass can be endlessly reused, regardless of the qualities of the food or drink that it contains (e.g., acidic foods, alcoholic beverages, base foods) or temperature conditions in which it is used (e.g., microwave use, high heat, refrigeration).
The American Society for Testing Materials defined glass as ‘an inorganic product of fusion which has cooled to a rigid state without crystallising’ (ASTM, 1965).A wide range of foods is packed in glass containers. Examples are as follows: instant coffee, dry mixes, spices, processed baby foods, dairy products, sugar preserves (jams and marmalades), spreads, syrups, processed fruit, vegetables, fish and meat products, mustards and condiments and so on. Glass bottles are widely used for beers, wines, spirits, liqueurs, soft drinks and mineral waters. Within these categories of food and drinks, the products range from dry powders and granules to liquids, some of which are carbonated and packed under pressure, and products which are heat sterilised.
Glass usually is the container of choice for entrepreneurs processing high moisture foods. It generally is easier to attain relatively small quantities of glass containers than other types of packaging. Glass withstands exposure to acid foods such as jams, jellies and condiments for extended periods of time. If the product needs to be pasteurised either by hot fill and hold or by immersion in a hot water bath, glass withstands the temperature and provides good protection to the food product.
A glass container has three basic parts - the finish, the body and the bottom. Finish is the part of the bottle that holds the cap or closure, the glass surrounding the opening in the container. Body of the container is the portion that is made in the body-mould. It is, in most cases the largest part of the container and lies between the finish and the bottom. Bottom of the container is made in the bottom plate part of the glass-container mould.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Glass
Advantages:• Inert; • Impermeable; • Odourless; • Versatility in shape and colour; • Reusable; • Suitable for use in the microwave; • Excellent clarity; • Glass containers are distinctive, convenient and practical; • Glass containers are used for premium quality foods.
Disadvantages:• Fragile; • Heavy weight; • Expensive.
Conclusion
For generations, glass packaging has been trusted to store food, beverages and medicines. Glass has the staying power as a pure, sustainable package that’s healthy for the consumer and the environment. Made from natural raw materials – sand, soda ash and limestone – glass is impermeable and nonporous, which protects its contents from degradation and tampering. In addition, glass is chemically inert, which guards contents from moisture and oxygen, and ensures that the freshness and flavour of its contents – along with the product’s shelf life – are preserved. Glass is the only packaging material generally recognised as safe (GRAS) by FDA. With the GRAS classification, glass containers require no leaching or extraction testing. The FDA requires all other packaging options to predict the amount of migrating foreign substances that will be consumed and sets limits on the amount consumed when products are packaged in anything other than glass. Because glass is chemically inert, its contents have a long shelf life without the risk of cross-contamination, and it is free of the health concerns now prevalent with competing types of containers. An added benefit of glass is its transparency. Consumers can see and trust the quality of the product being purchased. When purchasing a product packaged in glass, consumers place a higher value on products they can inspect.
(The author is assistant professor, home science and food technology, Surajmal Agrawal Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Uttarakhand. She can be contacted at anitabajpai@rediffmail.com)
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