Over the past 40 years, the food packaging has been an incredible evolution. Today most of the food is packaged at the origin, in packages designed to protect them and increase their conservation, but also to give a better image to consumers. The use of materials for packaging, always new and better functionality and economy is often accompanied with doubts about their hygiene.
The Italian legislation on materials coming into contact with food is very detailed and strict. Any material intended to contain food must be authorized by the Ministry of Health, which verifies the absence of interactions between packaging and product. By law, the packaging materials suitable for containing food must contain, well evident, marked “for food” or the equivalent symbol depicting a glass and fork.
It ‘should make sure that the materials used for packaging food bring back that statement because, those who produce material for food packaging, has no obligation to implement a self-sanitary based on the principles of’ HACCP *. It ‘still showed that some packaging materials, can convey to food spoilage microorganisms, chemical contaminants and residues strangers. Most striking example is the transparent films made of PVC expandable with the addition of phthalates to make them more elastic. These films are not suitable for packaging of fatty and oily foods (butter, cheese, sausages, meat with fat exposed) as phthalates, toxic to humans, are soluble in fatty tissue and can migrate into food and be ingested.
For their practicality and low cost, plastics are the most common food packaging (bags and trays of semi-rigid plastic containers polylaminate cardboard, etc..) Of polymers such as plastics are the main constituents. These are the main materials:
Type of material
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Abbreviation
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Major food uses
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Polypropylene
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PP
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Temperature-resistant, is used for thermoformed trays and bags which are then heated or boiled.
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Polyethylene terephthalate (polyester)
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PET
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Bottles for water and carbonated beverages, containers for coffee, honey, cold foods such as ice cream, frozen foods, fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses.
|
Polystyrene
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PS
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Ideal for storage of perishable foods at low temperatures, such as fish, meat, ice cream, yogurt.
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Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride
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PVC
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Great for fat-free products, is used for bottles, thermoformed trays and trays shaped biscuit, bread, fruit and vegetables.
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High density polyethylene
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HDPE
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It is produced in the form of film of greater thickness, such as that used for ordinary plastic bags for shopping or garbage bags.
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Low Density Polyethylene
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LDPE
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Widely used in the manufacture of flexible plastic packaging coupled with other materials.
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Polividen chloride or Cryovac
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PVDC
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We manufacture plastic film for wrapping packaged bread and other dry products. It is also used to coat paper, cellophane and other plastic films
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Polyamides (nylons)
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PA
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Due to the low gas permeability, is used in the preparation of receptacles intended to maintain a vacuum or modified atmosphere.
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