By
Narinder Kaur
(21105)
Introduction
An art, science, or technology required for preparing foods
for transport, storage, or sales elsewhere from the point of
production.
Packaging brings about protection of materials of all kinds
by means of containers designed to isolate the contents to
some known degree from outside influences. It is an
indispensable aspect of food value addition.
Nature of foods
Animal, plant or mineral origin,
occurring as solids, liquids or semi solids
Perishable, non-perishable, processed, minimally
processed or non-processed
short-term preservation or long-term
All these factors will dictate the nature of packaging and
storage conditions appropriate for the particular food.
Package, Packaging, Packing
Package: physical entity that contains the product
Packaging : discipline
Packing: enclosing of an individual item (or several
items) in a package or container
Levels of Packaging
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Quaternary
Primary packaging
direct contact with the contained product.
provides the initial, and usually the major protective
barrier.
Examples: Metal cans, paperboard cartons, glass
bottles and plastic pouches,aerosal spray can, Beverage
can, cushioning envelopes, plastic bottles, skin pack.
Secondary packaging
contains a number of primary packages.
outside the primary packaging
physical distribution carrier
sometimes designed so that it can be used in retail
outlets for the display of primary packages.
Example: Corrugated case, Boxes
Tertiary packaging
made up of a number of secondary packages.
Used for bulk handling.
Example: stretch-wrapped pallet of corrugated cases.
Quaternary packaging
used to facilitate the handling of tertiary packages.
generally a metal container up to 40 m in length which
can be transferred to or from ships, trains, and flatbed
trucks by giant cranes.
Certain containers are also able to have their
temperature, humidity and gas atmosphere controlled.
necessary in particular situations such as the
transportation of frozen foods, chilled meats and fresh
fruits and vegetables.
Constraints on adequate packaging
lack of knowledge : materials , requirements for
packaging different foods.
Each product has its own characteristics and packaging
requirements vary in many countries
Limited choices
Suppliers in urban areas : cause problems for the rural
producer
packaging can represent a large part of the total cost of a
processed food.
This may be in part the result of the higher unit cost when
small quantities are ordered for small scale production.
Functions of Packaging
containment
Protection
Convenience
communication
Containment
All products must be contained before they can be
moved from one place to another.
to function successfully.
Without containment, product loss and pollution
would be wide spread.
makes a huge contribution to protecting the
environment from the myriad of products which are
moved from one place to another.
Faulty packaging (or under packaging) could result in
major pollution of the environment and loss of the
product
Protection
primary function of the package
to protect its contents from outside environmental
effects
to protect the environment from the product:
Pollution
essential part of the preservation process.
Example: Tetra pack milk and juices unless opened
Vacuum packaged milk: oxygen barrier
Protection
protects or conserves much of the energy expended during
the production and processing of the product.
Example: to produce, transport, sell and store 1 kg of bread
requires 15.8 MJ of energy (transport fuel, heat, power and
refrigeration in farming and milling the wheat, baking and
retailing the bread and distributing both the raw materials
and the finished product)
To produce LDPE to package a 1 kg loaf of bread requires
1.4 MJ of energy.
This means that each unit of energy in the packaging
protects 11 units of energy in the product.
While eliminating the packaging might save 1.4 MJ of
energy, it would also lead to spoilage of the bread and a
consequent waste of 15.8 MJ of energy.
Convenience
Trend towards “grazing”
demand for a wide variety of food and drink at
outdoor functions
The products designed around principles of
convenience include foods which are pre-prepared and
can be cooked or reheated in a very short time,
preferably without removing them from their primary
package.
Example: Sauces, dressings and condiments
application through pump action
Convenience
Apportionment: functions by reducing the output
from industrial production to a manageable, desirable
"consumer" size
Example: a vat of wine into bottles, a churn of butter into
25 ml packet, a batch of ice cream into 2 L plastic tubs.
Shape: With regard to consumer convenience
easy to hold, open and pour
efficiency in building into secondary and tertiary
packages
Communication
silent salesman
instantly recognition of products through distinctive
branding and labelling
Nutritional information
Universal Product Code (UPC)
Communication to warehouses and distribution
centers via labelling of secondary and tertiary
packaging
unambiguous, readily understood symbols in case of
international trade
Functions/environments grid for
evaluating package performance
