7 Emerging Technologies in Food Packaging: Overview
Jung H. Han
7.1 Introduction
Food packaging is a process to establish a pack-
age for food. Package in US Federal Food, Drug and
Cosmetics Act is defined as An act for preventing
the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulter-
ated or misbranded or poisonous deleterious foods,
drugs, medicines, and liquors, and for regulating
traffic therein, and for other purposes (Title 21,
Chapter 9, Subchapter II, Section 321b). Packaging
is one of the most important processes to maintain
the quality of food products during storage, transpor-
tation, and end use (Kelsey, 1985). It prevents qual-
ity deterioration, and facilitates distribution and
marketing efficiencies. The basic functions of pack-
aging are protection, containment, information, and
convenience (Kelsey, 1985). A good package can
not only preserve food quality but also significantly
contribute to a business profit. Beyond the functions
of preservation, packaging also has secondary
functionssuch as selling and sales promotion.
However, the main function of food packaging is to
achieve preservation and the safe delivery of
food products until consumption. During distribu-
tion, the quality of the food product can deteriorate
biologically and chemically as well as physically.
Therefore, food packaging contributes to extending
the shelf life and maintaining the original quality
and the safety of the food products.
Yokoyama (1985) suggested the conditions nec-
essary to produce appropriate packaging, which are
mass production, reasonable and efficient packag-
ing material, suitable structure and form, conve-
nience, and consideration of disposal. Therefore,
according to these conditions, packaging designing
and development requires not only an industrial
design capability, creativity, and marketing tools
but also advanced knowledge of engineering and
environmental science. Preservation, convenience,
and the other basic functions of packaging are cer-
tainly important, but its disposal should be treated
Ebnesajjad: Plastic Films in Food Packaging. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-4557-3112-1.00007-7
2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted from a chapter in: Han, Innovations in Food Packaging (2005).
PepsiCo Corporate Research, PepsiCo Inc., Plano, TX, USA
as an important parameter in packaging
development.
Food industry uses a lot of packaging materials,
and thus even a small reduction in the consumption
of materials for each package would result in a sig-
nificant cost and material reduction, and may
improve solid waste problems. Various new pack-
aging technologies have attempted to reduce the
volume and/or weight of materials in efforts to
minimize resources and costs. Several trends in the
food packaging evolution have been remarkable
(Testin and Vergano, 1990), including source
reduction, design improvement for convenience and
handling, and environmental concerns regarding
packaging materials and processes. Food packaging
has evolved from simple preservation methods to
convenience, point-of-purchase marketing, material
reduction, safety, tamper-proofing, and environ-
mental issues (Stilwell et al., 1991). Since the
World Trade Center tragedy in 2001, food technol-
ogists have focused their attention on revising pack-
aging systems and package designs to increase food
safety and security. The level of concern regarding
the use of food and water supplies as the possibility
of bioterrorism has increased (Nestle, 2003).
Therefore, many applications of active packaging
will be commercially developed for the security
and safety enhancement of food products.
Although food packaging has evolved in its vari-
ous functions, every package still has to meet the
basic functions. Food packaging reduces food waste
and spoilage during distribution and decreases the
cost of preservation facilities. It extends the shelf
life of foods and provides safe foods to consumers.
A good package has to maintain the safety and
quality of foods as well as being convenient, allow-
ing sales promotion, and addressing environmental
issues.
The quality of the packaged food is directly
related to the food and packaging material attri-
butes. Most food products deteriorate in quality
121
122
due to mass transfer phenomena. These phenom-
ena can occur between the food product and the
atmospheric environment, between the food and
the packaging materials, or among the heteroge-
neous ingredients in the food product itself
(Krochta, 1997). Therefore, mass transfer studies
of the migration of package components and food
ingredients; of the absorption and desorption of
volatile ingredients, flavors, and moisture; of gas
permeation; and of the reaction kinetics of oxida-
tion and ingredient degradation are essential for
food packaging system designs.
7.2 Innovations in Food
Processing and Packaging
Year after year, technology becomes better.
Most developments in the field of food technology
have been oriented toward improving food proces-
sing and products more conveniently, more effi-
ciently, at less cost, and with higher quality and
safety levels. Traditional thermal processes have
offered innovative developments in the food pro-
cessing industry; these include commercial sterili-
zation, quality preservation, shelf-life extension,
and safety enhancement. Extended shelf-stable pro-
ducts manufactured by retorting or aseptic proces-
sing are available in any grocery store and do not
require refrigeration. These types of products are
very convenient at any place or time and are easy
to handle, therefore benefiting producers, proces-
sors, distributors, retailers, and consumers. The
major function of extended shelf-stable food pack-
aging is to construct a protective barrier against the
invasion of microorganisms.
Beyond this simple barrier function, there has
been more research and development introducing
new purposes for food packaging systems. Among
these, significant new functional packaging systems
which have been successfully commercialized are
active packaging, modified atmosphere packaging
(MAP), and edible films/coatings.
The development of new packaging functionali-
ties has been possible because of technological
advances in food processing, packaging material
science, and machinery. Among the many new
technologies, the development in processing and
packaging machinery is notable, leading to higher
standards of regulation, hygiene, health, and safety.
PLASTIC FILMS IN FOOD PACKAGING
New software and part installations in unit
operations have been introduced, and high-speed
automation has been achieved by using new
servomotors, subsystem parts, and software technol-
ogies such as the machine vision system (Tucker,
2003). The processing and packaging equipment
has new functions that feature increased safety,
quality, and productivity, and therefore it seems
that the development of new packaging functions
may go hand in hand with the development of new
processes, materials, and equipments. Packages
may have new purposes if new functional packag-
ing materials and/or materials containing functional
inserts/parts are used. Developing new packaging
technologies implies not only new material devel-
opment but also new packaging design systems.
Yam and Lee (2012) listed some socioeconomic
reasons that drive packaging innovations, such
as consumer lifestyle, value of products, profits,
safety/biosecurity, regulations, and environmental
concerns.
7.3 Food Packaging Technologies
7.3.1 Extra Active Functions of
Packaging Systems
Active packaging has been defined differently by
many researchers. Among them Robertson (2006)
defined it as packaging in which subsidiary consti-
tuents have been deliberately included in or on
either the packaging material or the package head-
space to enhance the performance of the packaging
system. Many new extra functions have been
introduced in active packaging technologies,
including oxygen-scavenging and intelligent func-
tions, antimicrobial activity, atmosphere control,
edibility, biodegradability, etc. Food packaging per-
forms beyond its conventional protective barrier
function. The new active packaging systems
increase product security, safety, protection, conve-
nience, and information delivery. Active packaging
systems extend the shelf life of food products by
maintaining their quality longer, increase their
safety by securing foods from pathogens and bioter-
rorism, and enhance the convenience of food pro-
cessing, distribution, retailing, and consumption.
There are many applications of active packaging
technologies, several of which have been commer-
cialized and are used in the food industry; these
7: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN FOOD PACKAGING: OVERVIEW
include oxygen-scavenging, carbon dioxide absorb-
ing, moisture-scavenging (desiccation), and antimi-
crobial systems. Most researchers report that the shelf
life of packaged foods has been extended by using
these active packaging systems, but the combinations
of multiple active packaging technologies have been
suggested to improve the quality and safety of foods,
and present a future trend in promising new research
and development project (Cooksey, 2010). Oxygen-
scavenging systems have been commercialized in the
form of a sachet that removes oxygen from within
packages. An oxygen-free environment can prevent
food oxidation and rancidity, and the growth of aero-
bic bacteria and molds. Carbon dioxide-scavenging
packaging systems can prevent packages from inflat-
ing due to the carbon dioxide formed after the pack-
aging processfor example, packaged coffee beans
may produce carbon dioxide during storage as a result
of nonenzymatic browning reactions. Fermented pro-
ducts such as pickles, sauces, kimchi (lactic acid fer-
mented vegetables), and some dairy products can
produce carbon dioxide after the packaging process.
Carbon dioxide-scavenging systems are also quite
useful for products that require fermentation and
undergo aging processes after they have been packed.
Moisture-scavenging systems have been used for a
very long time for packaging dried foods, moisture-
sensitive foods, pharmaceuticals, and electronic
devices; in these systems, desiccant materials are
included in the package in the form of a sachet.
Recently, the sachets have contained humectants as
well as desiccants to control the humidity inside the
package more specifically. Moisture-scavenging sys-
tems that are based on desiccation are evolving to
control the moisture by maintaining a specific relative
humidity inside the package by absorbing or releasing
moisture.
Antimicrobial packaging applications are directly
related to an improved level of food microbial
safety and bioterrorism as well as to extended shelf
life by preventing the growth of spoilage and/or
pathogenic microorganisms. The growth of spoilage
microorganisms shortens the foods shelf life, while
the growth of pathogenic microorganisms endan-
gers public health. Antimicrobial packaging sys-
tems consist of packaging materials, in-package
atmospheres, and packaged foods, and is designed
to kill or inhibit the microorganisms that cause
food-borne illnesses (Han, 2000, 2003a,b).
Intelligent packaging has been categorized both as
a part of active packaging and as a separate entity,
123
depending on different viewpoints. It contains intelli-
gent functions that have been studied to enhance
convenience for food manufacturing and distribution
and, increasingly, to improve food security and
safety verification (Rodrigues and Han, 2003).
7.3.2 Modified Atmosphere
Packaging
MAP is traditionally used to preserve the fresh-
ness of fresh produce, meats, and fish by control-
ling their biochemical metabolism, such as
respiration or fermentation. Nitrogen flushing, vac-
uum packaging, and carbon dioxide injection have
been used commercially for many years. However,
current research and development has introduced
new modified atmosphere technologies such as
inert gas (e.g. argon) flushing for fruits and vegeta-
bles, SO2 or ClO2 gas releasing for fruits, carbon
monoxide injection for red meats, and high oxygen
flushing for red meats. For a MAP system to work
effectively, optimal packaging material with proper
gas permeability properties must be selected. The
use of MAP systems is attractive to the food indus-
try because there is a fast-growing market for
fresh-cut processed fruits and vegetables, nonfrozen
chilled meats/fish/poultry, ready-to-eat meals, and
semiprocessed bulk foods.
MAP dramatically extends the shelf life of pack-
aged food products, and in some cases food does
not require any further treatments or any special
care during distribution. However, in most cases,
extending shelf life and maintaining quality require
a multiple hurdle technology systemfor example,
temperature control in addition to MAP is generally
essential to maintain the quality of packaged foods.
The hurdle technology concept is therefore impor-
tant for MAP applications, since the modified
atmosphere provides an unnatural gas environment
that can create unexpected and serious microbial
problems such as the growth of anaerobic bacteria
and the production of microbial toxins. Therefore,
the inclusion of a temperature control system is
very important for quality preservation and micro-
bial control together with the maximum effective-
ness of MAP.
7.3.3 Edible Films and Coatings
The use of edible films and coatings is an appli-
cation of active food packaging, since the edibility
124
and biodegradability of the films are functions
beyond those of conventional packaging (Han,
2002). Edible films and coatings are useful materi-
als produced mainly from edible biopolymers and
food-grade additives. Most biopolymers are natu-
rally existing polymers, including proteins, polysac-
charides (carbohydrates and gums), and lipids
(Gennadios et al., 1997). Plasticizers and other
additives are included with the film-forming biopo-
lymers in order to modify the films physical prop-
erties or to create extra functionalities.
Edible films and coatings enhance the quality of
food products by protecting them from natural dete-
rioration processes. The application of edible films
and coatings is an easy way to improve the physical
strength of the food products, reduce particle clus-
tering, and enhance the visual and tactile features
of food product surfaces (Cuq et al., 1995). They
can also protect food products from oxidation,
moisture absorption/desorption, microbial growth,
and other chemical reactions. The most common
functions of edible films and coatings are that they
are barriers against oils, gas, or vapors, and that
they are carriers of active substances such as anti-
oxidants, antimicrobials, colors, and flavors
(Guilbert and Gontard, 1995; Krochta and De
Mulder-Johnston, 1997). Thus edible films and
coatings enhance the quality of food products,
which results in an extended shelf life and
improved safety.
7.4 New Food Processing
Technologies
Besides the traditional heat processes for food
preservation, many other new thermal and nonther-
mal treatment technologies have been developed
recently. These include irradiation, high-pressure pro-
cesses, pulsed electric fields, UV treatments, antimi-
crobial packaging, etc. Some of these processes have
been commercially approved by regulatory agencies.
These new technologies generally require new
packaging materials and new package design in order
to achieve optimum processing efficiencyfor
example, packages that undergo an irradiation pro-
cess are required to be resistant to high energy to
prevent polymer degradation, those that undergo
UV treatments of packaged foods require UV
light transmittable packaging materials, and retortable
PLASTIC FILMS IN FOOD PACKAGING
pouches should resist pressure changes and maintain
seal strength. Since these new technologies each pos-
sess unique process characteristics, packaging materi-
als should be selected with these characteristics in
mind.
These new packaging materials and/or systems
not only need to work technically but they should
also be examined scientifically to ensure their
safety and lack of toxicity, and be approved by reg-
ulatory agencies. In some cases, countries may
require new regulations and legislation for the use
of these new processing and packaging technolo-
gies. The globalization of the food industry
enforces international standards and compliance
with multiple regulations. New technologies should
also be examined for their effect on product quality
and public health, and the results of these tests
should be disclosed to the public, government agen-
cies, processors, and consumer groups. However,
some criteria (such as threshold levels, allowable
limits, and generally acceptable levels) are decided
politically, as are rulings on how to practice and
review the policy. Scientific intervention is limited,
but it is important that scientific research results
and suggestions be sought and respected during
political decision making. Consumers buy and
decide what they want. It is also very important to
develop new packaging innovations that consumers
want, choose, and adapt their life style to accept
the benefits (Spencer and Junkus, 2007).
7.5 Future Trends in Food
Packaging
A continuing trend in food packaging technology
is the research and development of new materials
that possess very high-barrier properties. High-
barrier materials can reduce the total amount of
packaging materials required, since they are made
of thin or lightweight materials with high-barrier
properties. The use of high-barrier packaging mate-
rials reduces the costs in material handling, distri-
bution/transportation, and waste reduction.
Convenience is also a hot trend in food packag-
ing development. Convenience at the manufacturing,
distribution, transportation, sales, marketing, con-
sumption, and waste disposal level is very important
and competitive. Convenience parameters may be
related to productivity, processibility, warehousing,
7: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN FOOD PACKAGING: OVERVIEW
traceability, display qualities, tamper resistance, easy
opening, and cooking preparation.
A third important trend is safety, which is related
to public health and to security against bioterrorism.
It is particularly important because of the increase in
the consumption of ready-to-eat products, minimally
processed foods, and precut fruits and vegetables.
Food-borne illnesses and malicious alteration of
foods must be eliminated from the food chain.
Another significant issue in food packaging is
that it should be natural and environmentally
friendly. The substitution of artificial chemical
ingredients in foods and in packaging materials
with natural ingredients is always attractive to con-
sumers. Many ingredients have been substituted
with natural components or naturally degradable
materials. This trend will also continue in food
packaging system design areas. To design environ-
mentally friendly packaging systems that are more
natural requires, for example, the partial replace-
ment of synthetic packaging materials with biode-
gradable or edible materials, a consequent decrease
in the use of total amount of materials, and an
increase in the amount of recyclable and reusable
(refillable) materials.
Food science and packaging technologies are
linked to engineering developments and consumer
studies. Consumers tend to continuously want new
materials with new functions. New food packaging
systems are therefore related to the development of
food processing technology, lifestyle changes, and
political decision-making processes as well as sci-
entific confirmation.
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