This Brief is concerned with the material chemistry of food packaging materials. It introduces the properties and peculiarities of typical packaging materials, such as plastics, cellulose components, ceramics and metals. Their overall performance as food packaging material is determined by the chemical and physical properties. The Brief describes how the final properties of a food packaging material can be influenced through chemical modifications in the structure and composition of the used components. The authors also cover potential chemical reactions of food packaging materials that may affect their performance. Potential hazards that may arise, such as influences on the product quality, or effects on their recycling or disposal, are discussed. Different influences, like metal corrosion, chemical resistance and degradability of the main packaging materials, or properties like hydrophobicity, surface energy and migration have to be taken into account. This Brief gives an introduction to all these different aspects of food packaging.

This book provides valuable information on a range of food packaging topics. It serves as a source for students, professionals and packaging engineers who need to know more about the characteristics, applications and consequences of different packaging materials in food-packaging interactions. This book is divided into 13 chapters and focuses on the agro-food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors. The first four chapters cover traditional packaging materials: wood, paper and cardboard, glass and metal. The next two deal, respectively, with plastics and laminates. Biobased materials are then covered, followed by a presentation of active and smart packaging. Some chapters are also dedicated to providing information on caps and closures as well as auxiliary materials. Different food packaging methods are presented, followed by an investigation into the design and labelling of packaging. The book ends with a chapter presenting information on how the choice of packaging material is dependent on the characteristics of the food products to be packaged.

Because of the increasing pressure on both food safety and packaging/food waste, the topic is important both for academics, applied research, industry and also for environment protection. Different materials, such as glass, metals, paper and paperboards, and non-degradable and degradable polymers, with versatile properties, are attractive for potential uses in food packaging. Food packaging is the largest area of application within the food sector. Only the nanotechnology-enabled products in the food sector account for ~50% of the market value, with and the annual growth rate is 11.65%. Technological developments are also of great interest. In the food sector, nanotechnology is involved in packaging materials with extremely high gas barriers, antimicrobial properties, and also in nanoencapsulants for the delivery of nutrients, flavors, or aromas, antimicrobial, and antioxidant compounds. Applications of materials, including nanomaterials in packaging and food safety, are in forms of: edible films, polymer nanocomposites, as high barrier packaging materials, nanocoatings, surface biocides, silver nanoparticles as potent antimicrobial agents, nutrition and neutraceuticals, active/bioactive packaging, intelligent packaging, nanosensors and nanomaterial-based assays for the detection of food relevant analytes (gasses, small organic molecules and food-borne pathogens) and bioplastics.

The value of the groceries purchases in the USA is over $500 billion annually, most of which is accounted for by packaged foods. Plastic packaging of foods is not only ubiquitous in developed economies, but increasingly commonplace in the developing world, where plastic packaging is instrumental in decreasing the proportion of the food supply lost to spoilage. This new handbook is a combination of new material and updated chapters, chosen by Dr. Sina Ebnesajjad, from recently published books on this subject. Plastic Films in Food Packaging offers a practical handbook for engineers, scientists and managers working in the food packaging industry, providing a tailor-made package of science and engineering fundamentals, best practice techniques and guidance on new and emerging technologies. By covering materials, design, packaging processes, machinery and waste management together in one book, the authors enable the reader to take a lifecycle approach to food packaging. The Handbook addresses questions related to film grades, types of packages for different types of foods, packaging technologies, machinery and waste management. Additionally the book provides a review of new and emerging technologies. Two chapters cover the development of barrier films for food packaging and the regulatory and safety aspects of food packaging. - Essential information and practical guidance for engineers and scientists working at all stages of the food packaging lifecycle: from design through manufacture to recycling - Includes key published material on plastic films in food packaging, updated specifically for this Handbook, and new material on the regulatory framework and safety aspects - Coverage of materials and applications together in one handbook enables engineers and scientists to make informed design and manufacturing decisions

This book provides an overview of the lastest developments in biobased materials and their applications in food packaging. Written by experts in their respective research domain, its thirteen chapters discuss in detail fundamental knowledge on bio based materials. It is intended as a reference book for researchers, students, research scholars, academicians and scientists seeking biobased materials for food packaging applications.

Plastics have developed into the most important class of packaging materials. Their relative impermeability for substances from the surroundings has great influence on the shelf life and the quality of the packed goods. At the same time the interaction between the contents and the various components of the packaging plays a decisive role. This particular book is indispensable in the search for the optimal plastic packaging. It facilitates the estimation of the influence on the goods which come from the surroundings and from the packaging. The authors do not restrict themselves only to the description of the phenomena of diffusion or transport in theory, but they show what they mean for practical applications. Food represents the central theme as main area of application for plastic packaging. It can be considered to be the "model substance" and the findings are to be applied to many other products and systems. The main rules and regulations for food packaging of the European Community and the United States are presented in this book. Furthermore the authors emphasize the testing methods for proving the mass transport and the sensory check of the quality of the products.

Food Packaging: Nanotechnology in the Agri-Food Industry, Volume 7, focuses on the development of novel nanobiomaterials, the enhancement of barrier performance of non-degradable and biodegradable plastics, and their fabrication and application in food packaging. The book brings together fundamental information and the most recent advances in the synthesis, design, and impact of alternative food packaging. Special attention is offered on smart materials and nanodevices that are able to detect quality parameters in packaged food, such as freshness, degradation, and contamination, etc. In addition, ecological approaches aiming to obtain bioplastics packages from waste materials are highlighted and discussed as a novel approach in modern food packaging. Nonetheless, this volume presents the advances made in biodegradable and bioactive packaging utilized for preserving flavor, nutritious ingredients, and therapeutic food compounds. - Includes fabrication techniques, such as nanofiber films, nanocoating, nanocompositing, multi-layered structures, and layer-by-layer nanoassemblies based on synthetic and bio-based polymers - Presents the latest information on new biodegradeable materials using fabrication of new high barrier plastics to enhance research - Provides examples of risk assessment for nanomaterials for food safety and the benefits of antimicrobial food packaging

This book is arguably the first one focusing on packaging material testing and quality assurance. Food Packaging Materials: Testing & Quality Assurance provides information to help food scientists, polymer chemists, and packaging technologists find practical solutions to packaging defects and to develop innovative packaging materials for food products. Knowledge of packaging material testing procedures is extremely useful in the development of new packaging materials. Unique among books on packaging, this reference focuses on basic and practical approaches for testing packaging materials. A variety of packaging materials and technologies are being used, with glass, paper, metal, and plastics as the most important groups of materials. Material properties such as mechanical and other physical properties, permeability, sealing, and migration of substances upon food contact are determining factors for food quality, shelf life, and food safety. Therefore, food packaging materials have to be tested to ensure that they have correct properties in terms of permeability for gases, water vapor, and contaminants; of mechanical and other physical properties; and of the thickness of main components and coating layers. This book has been designed to shed light on food packaging material testing in view of packaging integrity, shelf life of products, and conformity with current regulations. This comprehensive book, written by a team of specialists in the specific areas of food packaging, package testing, and food contact regulations, deals with the problems in a series of well-defined chapters. It covers the relations between packaging properties and shelf life of products and describes testing methods for plastics, metal, glass, and paper, including the areas of vibration, permeation, and migration tests. It will be of benefit for students, scientists, and professionals in the area of food packaging.

Food packaging performs an essential function, but packaging materials can have a negative impact on the environment. This collection reviews bio-based, biodegradable and recycled materials and their current and potential applications for food protection and preservation.The first part of the book looks at the latest advances in bio-based food packaging materials. Part two discusses the factors involved in choosing alternative packaging materials such as consumer preference, measuring the environmental performance of food packaging, eco-design, and the safety and quality of recycled materials. Part three contains chapters on the applications of environmentally-compatible materials in particular product sectors, including the packaging of fresh horticultural produce, dairy products and seafood. This section also covers active packaging, modified atmosphere packaging and biobased intelligent food packaging. The book finishes with a summary of the legislation and certification of environmentally-compatible packaging in the EU.With its distinguished editor and contributors, Environmentally-compatible food packaging is a valuable reference tool for professionals in the food processing and packaging industries. - Reviews bio-based, biodegradable and recycled materials and their current and potential applications - Discusses consumer preference, environmental performance, eco-design and the quality of recycled materials as factors involved in choosing alternative packaging materials - Summarises EU legislation and certification of environmentally compatible packaging

Nanotechnology for Food Packaging: Materials, Processing Technologies, and Safety Issues showcases the latest research in the use of nanotechnology in food packaging, providing an in-depth and interdisciplinary overview of the field. Nanoscale advances in materials science, processing technology and analytical techniques have led to the introduction of new, cheaper and safer packaging techniques. Simultaneously, the increasing use of renewable nanomaterials has made food packaging more sustainable. Chapters provide a comprehensive review on materials used, their structure–function relationship, and new processing technologies for the application and production of nanotechnology-based packaging materials. In addition, the book discusses the use of functional materials for the development of active, smart and intelligent packaging, possible migration and toxicity of nanomaterials for foods and regulatory aspects, and commercial applications. - Provides detailed information on the use of nanomaterials and methodologies in food packaging, possible applications and regulatory barriers to commercialization - Presents an interdisciplinary approach that brings together materials science, bioscience, and the industrial and regulatory aspects of the creation and uses of food packaging - Helps those undertaking research and development in food packaging gain a cogent understanding on how nanotechnology is leading to the emergence of new packaging technologies