Laminates

Development of a Cost efficient Concept for Testing and Evaluation Mass Transport between thin Packaging Layers and Foodstuffs for Quality Assurance and technological Optimisation of plastics based Multilayer Packaging Applications

Multilayer packages represent the most frequent application in food packaging today. This type of packaging application is extremely important for modern increasing markets such as small portions and convenience food as well as active and intelligent food packaging.

Mulitlayer plastic packaging structures are not yet covered by the European food legislation process. It remains an open question whether each layer has to comply with the EU-Plastics Directive or the food contact layer only. This open situation and missing European regulations and standards are contra productive to industrial R & D packaging developments.

The aim of the project is to establish a pragmatic concept for quality assurance and packaging design in the area of plastic multilayers. This concept should allow model mass transport of packaging constituents from the individual layers into food.

After a one and a half year project lifetime comprehensive kinetic measurements on selected test structures have been carried out. The experimental results are currently evaluated and a model is about to be established. The project work is carried out in cooperation between the research laboratories of Fraunhofer IVV, Freising, and Fabes GmbH, Munich, and with the project accompanying industry team of IVLV, the WG “WVF”.