The vast majority of packaged foods require a barrier to gases, flavors or odors to maintain product quality and provide acceptable shelf-life. For example, baked foods often require moisture protection, while fresh meats and vegetables require low or controlled oxygen exposure to maximize shelf-life and consumer appeal. Single and multi-layer polyethylene-based films are being used to package many different food products. The specific permeation properties of these films determine the shelf-life of the packaged food products that they contain. Information is presented on the factors affecting the permeation rates of polyethylene blown films. Models correlating permeation rates with the major effects of density, film gauge and crystalline orientation are shown. In addition, the impact of processing conditions and resin molecular weight distribution are discussed.
| Number of Pages : | 7 |
| Published : | 11/01/1997 |
