Factors affecting on the integrity and sealing of flexible packaging
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
In biscuit manufacturing, quality assurance plays a significant role in order to deliver a product
that will attract the customers and profit gaining of the industry is closely related with the quality
of packaging operations (Manly, 2002). There are various types of packaging materials that is
being used for biscuit packaging but at present, flexible packaging materials are used
prominently because of its good barrier properties, space saving, ease of operation and
disposability etc. End product package integrity is important when assuring quality of the
product throughout the shelf life (Robertson, 2012). At packaging, sealing defects may result
damaged end products which will eventually absorb moisture and the biscuits may become stale
and deteriorated along with shelf life. To prevent that, suitable machine settings of the packaging
machine should be maintained and monitored.Objectives of this study are to find the best
suitable machine setting range for two types of wrappers, metalized wrapper and laminated
wrapper and to find the effect of Accelerated life testing on the package integrity, moisture
absorbance and rancidity.
Methodology
In this study, the integrity of end products belonged to two different types of flexible packaging
materials (metalized and laminated wrapper), which was produced to different sets of
temperature settings were monitored. From the selected wrappers, material combination of
metalized wrapper (trade name Metalized BOPP/ CPP film) is 20 BOPP/ 25 MCPP and
laminated wrapper (trade name BOPP/ CPP) consist 30 BOPP/ 25 CPP. Selected metalized
wrapper is being using for Soft dough type 1(round) 75g product and laminated wrapper is being
using for Soft dough type 2(rectangular) 100g product. The integrity of biscuit package is
measured by subjecting the samples in to Leak tester. The sample packet was submerged in the
water chamber of the leak tester and gradually the vacuum of the head space of the water
chamber was created and was increased which resulted the expansion of the packet. The value of
the vacuum pressure at which the package integrity gets terminated (either by bubble emission
from the weakest point of seal or bursting of the package) was taken as the response
measurement. Preliminary data base was created for five weeks by testing sixty biscuit packets
of metalized and laminated wrapper each from morning and evening shift for its integrity by
subjecting those to leak tester. The treatment was taken as the machine setting values (sealing
temperature values) at which the biscuit packages were produced(RL1= roller 1, RL2= roller 2,
UJ= upper jaw, LJ= lower jaw). The response variable was the vacuum pressure value at which
the package integrity was terminated when subjected to leak tester.Those best treatments from
each metalized wrapper and laminated wrappers were then subjected to accelerated life testing
(ALT) by incubating under 45°C for eight weeks. Weekly the biscuit packet samples from each
wrapper were tested for its integrity, moisture content, pH and rancidity.
Description
Keywords
Food Science, Food Technology, Agriculture, Export Agriculture, Biscuits