Ethylene is a type of gas that fruits and vegetables can produce naturally. The release of ethylene gas from fruits and vegetables causes them to ripen and undergo physical, chemical and biological changes, such as changes in the appearance in terms of shape and colour, changes in firmness and texture, changes in taste and changes in nutritional value. Furthermore, it also facilitates the growth of microorganisms. These changes lead to spoilage if the fruit or vegetables are left to over ripen. Therefore, the prevention and reduction of damage caused by the ripening of fruits and vegetables entail reducing or slowing down the release of ethylene gas produced by them. This research project aimed to study the properties of activated carbon and potassium permanganate (KMnO4) modified activated carbon, applied as a printing layer on plastic materials for bananas, in terms of their adsorption and decomposition of ethylene. Active and water-based flexography printing inks were prepared from water-based binder and ethylene adsorbing and scavenging agents (activated carbon and KMnO4 modified activated carbon) at various concentrations of active agents, that is, 0.0, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0%w/v. Then, those inks were printed on polypropylene plastic substrate. The delayed ripening of fruits results showed that the plastic materials coated with modified activated carbon inks delayed the physiology disorder (colour and firmness changing about 250% and 226%) and prolonged the storage time up to 14 days when compared with control. In addition, the functional ink layer also presented a high efficiency of abrasion resistance of about 75 cycles of rubbing at 1.8 kg. The products that stem from this research can be applied as packaging for fruits and vegetables in the form of bags, stickers and product pads that can help extend the life and slow the ripening of fruits and vegetables.

Food marketing uses packaging to attract consumers. Clean labels (CLs) have been proposed as a recent alternative to attract consumers and increase purchasing intention; however, the impact of CL on consumers' perception has not been extensively studied. In this way, the current research aimed to understand the effect of CL used in frequent food consumed by the Brazilian population (cereal bars, sandwich cookies, yogurt, loaf bread, tomato paste and ketchup) and their impact on consumers' perception. A study with 392 volunteers was carried out, and the data were obtained through an online form and analysed using an electronic spreadsheet. Each volunteer compared similar food inside packaging with conventional labels or CL, considering the same price and expiration date. Data derived from consumers' perceptions were analysed using the word association (WA) methodology. Results from volunteers showed that people verify the presence of natural ingredients in food products and prefer processed products with CL. Furthermore, several variables used to develop CL such as product quality, nutritional value and ingredients were mentioned by the volunteers as parameters influencing purchasing intention. Finally, results from WA confirmed the preference of volunteers by food packages with CL; in this way, food products with CL were correlated with sensory and nutritional aspects. This study confirms the importance of CL in processed food packaging and its importance to induce positive feelings in consumers.

Ethylene accumulation is one of the main causes of rapid deterioration of climacteric fruit and vegetables in a package as ethylene accelerates the ripening process. Modelling the ethylene gas in a package headspace is a promising way to control the ripening process as it provides and optimises the methods to remove ethylene. In this review, the transmission of ethylene through a package, ethylene removal by a scavenger and ethylene accumulation inside the package are discussed with their models. The permeability of packaging material allows ethylene to escape from the package to a little extent. The perforation in packaging material also helps ethylene to depart rapidly from the fruit package which is explained and modelled using Fick's first law of diffusion. The pseudo-first- and second-order kinetics based on the adsorption phenomena have been used to model the removal of ethylene by a scavenger. The mass balance between the ethylene transmission rate through the package, ethylene production rate by fruit and ethylene removal by scavenger provides the ethylene accumulation which can be helpful for predicting the quality of the fruit inside a package. This study could lead to the development of an active fruit packaging system with the inclusion of ethylene along with oxygen and carbon dioxide for extending the shelf life of fresh commodities in postharvest storage.

The valorization of agricultural by-products into sustainable packaging materials is one of the best strategies to utilize industrial waste efficiently. In this study, defatted pumpkin seed meal (DPSM) has been converted into films by impregnating selected concentrations of halloysite (HS) nanoclay (1%, 2% and 3% w/w). Various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and barrier property measurements, were employed to characterize the developed films. The appearance of the roughness on the surface of the films was evident from SEM micrographs upon the addition of HS. No change in the crystallinity of DPSM occurred when HS was incorporated; however, the Tg showed a variation with the loading concentration of the clay. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that the decrease in hydrogen bonding was associated with increasing the HS concentrations. The addition of HS improved the tensile strength, stress relaxation percentage and Young's modulus, while the elongation at break was reduced at a similar condition. The biodegradability of the film was excellent within 20 days of the burying period. Overall, the developed films could be a potential candidate for sustainable food packaging.

Bio-based antimicrobial films have been developed using sodium alginate and 6 wt% of cinnamon essential oil (CEO) as a volatile antimicrobial substance and 4 and 6 wt% of citric acid (CA) as a non-volatile antimicrobial substance. Antimicrobial activity of the films was tested in in vitro tests against Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua by disc diffusion or vapour diffusion assay. Sodium alginate films containing CA exhibited a zone of inhibition between 30.86 ± 2.55 and 45.87 ± 1.90 against E. coli and L. innocua in the disc diffusion assays. Films containing CEO also showed significant antimicrobial activities in the vapour diffusion assays that resulted in a log reduction of 5.3 for E. coli and 3.2 for L. innocua after 6 days. Antimicrobial activities of all films were also tested against L. innocua on sliced cooked ham. Films containing CEO did not prevent the growth of L. innocua inoculated on ham. On the other hand, sodium alginate films with CA fully inhibited the growth of L. innocua on ham during storage at 7.5°C for 12 days resulting in a bacterial count below the detection limit after 12 days. The addition of antimicrobial substances in sodium alginate films resulted in a slight colour change (but significant) and reduced the tensile strength of the films significantly. Adding CA to sodium alginate films increased the moisture content (from 24.81% to 35.41–48.02%) as well as the elongation at break (from 11.3% to 22.6–33.2%) of the films.

The use of disposable and reusable packaging is a hot topic in policy and practice, but different studies have come to different conclusions on when each packaging type is the more sustainable alternative. The purpose of this paper is to map and review scientific literature that compares disposable and reusable packaging for food, beverages and e-commerce from a sustainability perspective. The methodology is a systematic literature review, which identifies 91 scientific papers. The paper describes and analyses the origin, characteristics and state of current knowledge and then proposes future research directions within five areas. It identifies and presents what is known in literature to achieve environmental and social sustainability, as well as circularity for disposable compared to reusable packaging. The review shows that the literature is to great extent qualitative, often studying individual products in a specific context. European studies dominate the current literature, and many of them revolve around a few types of products and packaging. Slightly under half of the studies use the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The review of these studies provides some indicative suggestions for when disposable and reusable packaging is environmentally preferable, but the number of LCA studies is too limited, and their content too fragmented to draw general conclusions about this. Overall, the review of 91 articles shows a great need for continued research that compares the environmental efficiency of disposable and reusable packaging. It also highlights the necessity for more knowledge to be able to clearly state under what conditions and in what contexts disposable and reusable packaging are the most sustainable options.

To solve the problems caused by direct incorporation of preservation agents (PAs) such as antimicrobials and antioxidants into food, development and application of active packaging (AP) are being strongly promoted. According to the way of PAs applied, AP can be divided into immobilisation type and release type. In release AP, a long-lasting and stable preservation effect can be achieved by adjusting the release rate of PAs. In this review, we focused on the effects of adjusting the multilayers, polymers, and nanocapsule and microcapsule structures of AP on the release mechanisms and applications of PAs. Release mathematical models based on food simulants have limitations in real food applications. Controlled release modifications often affect the properties of AP such as permeability and light transmission; by regulating the interaction between various factors, there is the potential to achieve a synergistic effect between controlled release and other packaging characteristics to maintain food quality.

Chan, RBY. A review of packaging-related studies in the context of household food waste: Drivers, solutions and avenues for future research. Packag Technol Sci. 2022; 35( 1): 3– 51. doi:10.1002/pts.2611 In paragraph 3 of Section 3.1, the text “Primary consumer studies mentioning packaging's effect on FW were first published in reports 40 years before relevant papers began appearing.” was incorrect. This should have read: “Primary consumer studies mentioning packaging's effect on FW were first published in reports 4 years before relevant papers began appearing.” We apologize for this error.

Current shampoo bottles are oversized, using more plastic than necessary. In order to promote plastic minimization, the aim of this work is to determine how much it is possible to reduce the thickness of current shampoo bottles while maintaining their functionality and performance. In this way, a quantification of the maximum plastic material reduction in the manufacturing of bottles of massively consumed shampoo was assessed. Mechanical testing simulations of shampoo bottles with different capacities and shapes were performed for top load and squeeze load efforts. For these simulations, three different thicknesses were considered: original, 30% reduced and the minimum admissible for being considered as rigid packaging. From the simulations, it was corroborated that shampoo bottles are oversized, allowing them to reduce their amount of plastic by at least 30%. Also, it was found that bottle shape is crucial to its mechanical performance, being the simplest bottle the most resistant, when bottles with the same capacity and thickness are compared. When less material is used, less is discarded, and, consequently, less is turned into waste. Then, rethinking current bottles following ecodesign criteria seems to be the way for an adequate sustainable approach compatible with green marketing strategies and plastic waste minimization.

Significant efforts have been made over the past decade to facilitate the recognition of environmentally friendly packaging and promote sustainability. Yet, consumers remain confused by the excess of labels and claims used to communicate sustainability. In our previous work, we modified the appearance of recycled fibre-based packaging by incorporating visible particles of fibre-based waste. This strategy enabled consumers to better identify packages with a high recyclability level, enhancing their environmental perception towards sustainable products. However, the incorporation of such large waste particles proved to be detrimental to the mechanical properties of the paperboards. In this study, we further investigate the influence of the physicochemical properties of the added fibre-based waste on packaging performance. Using a similar strategy to enhance the environmental perception, we herein studied the effect of mixed office waste (MOW), old magazines (OMG), and polylactic acid (PLA) paper cups. The presence of hydrophobic and difficult-to-process and difficult-to-disperse waste, such as the PLA paper cups, significantly altered the mechanical performance of the paperboards, whereas more hydrophilic and easy-to-disintegrate waste (MOW and OMG) had a lesser effect regardless of the size of the particles. Strength agents such as cationic starch (CS) and cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) successfully restored the properties of the paperboards containing MOW and OMG but were less effective for PLA paper cups. A multi-ply strategy overcame the limitations of CS and CMFs using the redesigned paperboard as an outer ply for aesthetic purposes and a 100% recycled inner ply for restoring strength.

Biodegradable blend films containing thermoplastic starch (TPS), polylactic acid (PLA), and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were assessed for red chili storage under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 10°C. Performances of biodegradable blend films were compared to polypropylene (PP) film and the control (unpacked). Gas permeabilities and permeability ratios were determined to measure the ability of the films to create an optimal atmosphere for red chili storage. PP film attained values close to the recommended MAP gas concentrations and maintained desirable chili quality parameters up to the 15th day. Biodegradable films did not achieve the recommended MAP gas concentrations, but high water vapor permeability prevented moisture loss and maintained firmness and overall quality. No discoloration was recorded in all MAP treatments, while biochemical parameters showed a decreasing trend, with measured levels significantly higher in MAP samples than unpacked samples. MAP for red chili was achieved using a packaging system, with similar gas permeabilities to PP film but with significantly higher water vapor permeability.

Fine-powdered bulk materials exhibit high compressibility even under low pressure. The dosing error in volumetric dosing devices increases fundamentally with increasing product compressibility. In order to increase the dosing accuracy of a volumetric dosing of powdered bulk solids, the dosing process must be adapted to the product parameters. The most important parameter is the time-variable product density. With a pure volumetric dosage, it has a direct influence on the actually filled product quantity. Attempts are often made to obtain feedback by means of a scale in order to continuously adjust the volume. However, this is often associated with a delay. In this article, the approach is to measure the product mass flow directly by means of a microwave sensor and to regulate it to a predetermined mass flow. The experimental investigations were carried out with a screw dosing device FVS 3111. Two scenarios were tested: on the one hand, the integration of the sensor directly at the product delivery point, whereby the difference of the average value of the dosed quantity to the target weight could be improved with the sample product coffee; on the other, the sensor was integrated directly at the beginning of the screw and the remaining product flow was simulated. A reduction of the standard deviation compared with the conventional control could also be achieved, but here, the difference between the average of the dosed quantity and the nominal quantity is greater. The cause is presumed to be the too generalized assumption of product behaviour in the case of vertical conveying by means of a screw. In summary, the dosing accuracy of a screw dosing device could be increased by measuring and regulating the mass flow and thus the costs of a manufactured packaging could be reduced.

Flexible packaging has many advantages in the food industry, arising from low weight, formability, multilayer complexity and cost. Heat sealing is a very efficient technique to close flexible food packaging. Currently, many thermoplastic materials are used in seal layers. A seal can be formed when these materials are heated and brought into contact; thereafter, polymer chains diffuse across the seal interface and entangle. Hydrogen bonds, polar and ionic interactions are molecular forces that can come into play, depending on the thermoplastic materials that are used in the seal layer. Bonds between identical polymers, referred to as autohesion, are formed in pouch applications (e.g., horizontal and vertical form-fill-seal packages). In lidding applications, the flexible film is sealed to a rigid cup, tray or bottle, whereby bonds can be formed between non-identical polymers because the materials are often provided by different suppliers. All heat seal technologies imply heating of seal layers but differ in the heating principle. In the food industry and in most scientific seal studies, the seals of mono- and multilayered packaging are mainly formed by conductive heating. Recently, the use of emerging technologies, such as ultrasonic and laser heating, is increasingly described in recent papers. Applied seals are characterized by strength after a specified cooling time. Immediately after heating, this strength is referred to as hot tack. A good seal performance is crucial to guarantee food safety and quality. Besides strength, tightness is important to prevent food degradation, caused by microorganisms and external gases, and to keep aromatic gases inside the package. This review aims to give a literature overview that can support stakeholders in the food industry to improve and optimize the material selection in flexible packaging, in order to obtain seals with desired tightness and strength. Heat seal studies on materials and seal technology of flexible food packaging, such as pouches and lidding films, are considered. Scientific data are categorized from a materials' perspective, based on chemical structure, which is revealed by chemical and thermal analysis. A majority of the seal studies is categorized in a first section on polyolefins as seal layers. The following sections describe the seal functionality of (i) ethylene copolymers, such as ionomers; and (ii) polyesters, such as poly (ethylene terephthalate), pol (lactic acid) and poly (butylene succinate). The role of plasticizers, fillers and other additives in the seal performance is also described. Finally, material properties, such as chain length and melting temperature (Tm), as underlying causes of seal performance, are summarized.

The quality loss and shelf life of cherry tomatoes stored in different types of commercially available bio-based packaging trays were analysed and compared with the reference materials, corrugated cardboard and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). During storage under conditions reflecting points in a regional German supply chain, typical quality parameters were investigated. Surface bacterial counts of the packaging materials were investigated before and after storage, and material parameters were determined for selected packaging.

Growing concern for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) motivates to examine I4.0 technologies under the lens of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the context of digital technologies. The goal of the paper is to align SDGs with selected I4.0 technologies to conceptualize a digital business model for printing and packaging companies. In this perspective, a comprehensive literature review, quantitative survey and qualitative individual in-depth interviews were conducted as a research approach. Findings revealed that printing and packaging companies achieved SDGs (8, 9 and 12) mostly through their value proposition by supporting I4.0 components (cybersecurity, system integration, cloud computing, big data and Internet of things [IoT]). The business model affirms a digital-oriented transition towards sustainability, fostering further development of I4.0. It also highlights the importance of redesigning traditional business models to embrace digitalization. Despite the study limitations, the business model can be adapted to other companies of various sectors, improving their ‘profit centres’.

Time–temperature indicators (TTIs) can visually reflect the remaining shelf life of various products, especially in cold chain transportation, by taking consideration of both time and temperature influences. Though various TTIs have been developed, few have been commercialized. This review aims at providing a timely reference to scientific community and valuable guidance for the future design of TTIs to boost the commercialization. This review firstly introduces the general principle and models for TTIs including key parameters of reaction rate constants, activation energies and activation energy matching. Then, four classical types of TTIs covering diffusion-based, polymer-based, enzyme-based, and microbial TTIs are introduced regarding their working mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages as well as commercialized TTI products as examples. The development trend of TTI design and fabrication is highlighted from three categories including nanoparticles, electrospun nanofibers and printable inks. Furthermore, the review summarizes recent application of TTIs for monitoring the quality and safety of various products (meat, seafood, dairy, vaccines and fruits and vegetables). We also point our concerns from the perspective of safety, accuracy, multifunctionality and commercialization for the future development of TTIs.

Edible mushrooms are favoured by people for their rich nutrition, medicinal value and unique flavour. The quality of postharvest mushroom decreased sharply because of its special tissue structure and physiological characteristics. Compared with other preservation technologies, packaging has been widely used in the preservation of mushrooms because of its strong preservation effect, green and convenient characteristic. This review discussed the quality deterioration of fresh mushrooms and its influencing factors, and summarised the research advances and preservation mechanism of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), active packaging (ACP), biodegradable film packaging (BFP) and nanocomposite packaging (NCP) used to cope with the quality deterioration of fresh mushrooms. The packaging mainly maintains the quality of mushrooms and extends their shelf life by exerting antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant, and by regulating respiration and energy metabolism, cell wall metabolism and membrane lipid metabolism. Currently, the combined packaging based on nano, active and biodegradable is getting more attention, but there is a lack of in-depth genetic research on its preservation mechanism. Nanoemulsion-based packaging was used in many foods; however, there is little research on the preservation of mushrooms. Based on the above packaging, the next step is to explore the intelligent packaging for edible mushrooms. This review can provide reference for further research and application of packaging preservation in mushrooms, to improve the quality of postharvest mushrooms.

With the growing emphasis on minimization of global plastic waste, flexible fibre-based packaging has gained significant interest over the past few years. Heat-sealing technology is commonly applied for vertical form-fill-seal machine to provide tight closure of packages for maintaining food quality and shelf life. Several different seal bar geometries and adequate heat-seal parameters are required to improve the seal tightness of the packages. This study aims to compare the heat sealability of thermoplastic film (OPP/PE) and paper-based materials in vertical form-fill-seal machine using various seal bar profiles. The investigation includes seal strength measurement, understanding the causes of leak formation, seal tightness and inspection of the seal using scanning electron microscopy. Results reveal that OPP/PE material has exceptional seal strength and leakproof ability compared with paper-based materials. However, it has limited operating window because the material shrinks and coarsens at approximately 140°C. Sealing temperature and dwell time are found to be the major factors affecting the seal strength of paper-based material. Results reveal the PE-coated papers exhibit nearly twice the seal strength compared with the dispersion-coated paper. It was difficult to achieve good hot-tack values with dispersion-coated paper. During testing, all the paper-based materials experience delamination and fibre tear, and its severity increases with the increasing material grammage. As plateau temperature is reached, the fibre delamination remains relatively constant. The serrated geometry of seal bar design plays a significant role in providing a satisfactory airtight seal, particularly around the pouch's layer jump. However, flat seal bar designs are not recommended for gas tight applications for paper-based materials.

Worldwide, the packaging industry for consumer product goods, including personal care and beauty products, generates over $25 billion in sales. An extremely high environmental impact follows the large demand in the industry. Almost 70% of the plastic waste generated in the cosmetics market is not recyclable. Sustainability in the beauty industry is complex and multifaceted, requiring an evaluation of all factors. Packaging plays an important role in the cosmetics market, and considering the amount of waste it generates, it is essential to understand packaging dispensing systems from an environmental perspective. This study investigated the environmental impacts of three dispensing systems commonly used for cosmetic product packaging: the general dip-tube pump, the airless pump and the bag-in-bottle format. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to quantitatively analyse the environmental burden of those three different dispensing systems, using a facial cream as a test case. The LCA analysed the environmental impacts generated by the packaging materials and incorporated the environmental impacts created by the facial cream residue left behind in each dispensing system. The system boundary of this LCA included the material production, intermediate processes, distribution, use and end-of-life phases of the packaged facial cream products. The LCA complied with the ISO standards, 14,040:2006 and 14,044:2006, and LCA software SimaPro v 9.0 was used to analyse the results. The life cycle inventories used in this LCA included US-EI 2.2, USLCI and Ecoinvent 3. TRACI 2.1, including ten mid-point life cycle impact categories, was chosen as the life cycle impact analysis method. Comparative and contribution analyses were conducted to interpret the LCA data. The comparative analysis demonstrated that the airless pump packaging system had less environmental burden than the other two packaging systems for all the life cycle impact categories. The bag-in-bottle alternative had the highest environmental impact for eight of the ten impact categories. The contribution analysis results revealed that the packaging material production phase most contributed to the environmental burden of all three packaging formats, followed by the lotion residue.

Ripeness of fruits is one of the factors causing food losses in the supply chain. Food loss increases the environmental burden through additional production undertaken to compensate for the losses. Packaging decreases the losses and consequently, the environmental burden, but itself causes additional environmental burden. This study models the relationship between food loss reduction via packaging for ripened peaches and the environmental burden across their life cycle. The results reveal that the slope of the straight line approximating the relationship increases with transportation distance. Relationship between the slope and transportation distance shows that for transportation up to 100 km, packaging with lower environmental burden is sufficient while above 300 km, packaging that provides a high level of protection for peaches—with the consequent reduction in food loss contributing to the reduction of the environmental burden—is appropriate. We propose packaging with superior environmental-friendly qualities, based on the transportation distance, for ripened peaches.