DuPont: Cost-effective Packaging Materials for Performance and Shelf-Appeal

DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers (www.dupont.com) was presenting a range of cost-effective material solutions at the IFFA 2007 (5th-10th May 2007 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany), with a focus on both performance and shelf-appeal of packaged meat products. Following the recent introduction of super-tough grades of DuPont™ Surlyn®, DuPont is challenging manufacturers to re-engineer their packaging structures, to deliver double-figure cost savings without trade-offs in packaging integrity or appeal. Further innovations for enhanced packaging, performance and presentation include DuPont™ Selar® VP Technology for improved packaging breathability, and DuPont™ Appeel® lidding sealant resin with an anti-fog coating for the clear and attractive presentation of meat products.

Upgraded packaging without added cost
DuPont’s new, super-strong Surlyn® ionomer grades provide a combination of stiffness, formability, puncture and abrasion resistance and sealing performance. They are approximately twice as stiff as conventional Surlyn® grades while maintaining the same extrudability and processability. According to Thomas Philipon, sustainable materials market manager at DuPont Packaging: “The properties of our new grades, combined with our proprietary design software , enable converters to re-engineer their flexible packaging structures and to improve their overall packaging performance, while using less raw material, reducing costs and environmental footprint.” At the same time, overall performance in seal integrity for food safety and productivity through higher line speed can be improved. Mauri Azagury, development programs manager, food & beverage at DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers explains: “By applying DuPont’s design software, we have been able to re-design typical film structures to use Surlyn® intelligently as a sealant layer. This has resulted in the development of new, thinner structures whereby films are produced with reduced weight, maintained stiffness, improved seal integrity and enhanced mechanical properties – and, most importantly, a significant saving in terms of overall packaging cost.”

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Amcor OptiSur –a clear advantage to meat products
A recent application of Surlyn® resins can be found in Amcor OptiSur, a cost-competitive, high quality film from Amcor that uses DuPont™ Surlyn®. This cost competitive solution is perfectly suited to both the fresh and processed meat industries and is currently being used in Spain mainly for Frankfurter sausages including the Oscar Mayer brand from Campofrío. Thanks to the use of Surlyn®, Amcor OptiSur’s main advantage is a strong secondary seal that avoids ‘purges’ and negative visual aspects that can occur with meat products with a high level of water activity. Secondary sealing is a short thermal process using steam, hot air or hot water and applied to the closed vacuum pack. The heat and strength of the vacuum creates a second seal in all the film areas of the pack where there is no product, therefore liquid or blood is prevented from flowing around the pack improving the appearance of the product by giving a “clean” view and eliminating any potential bacteria growth in the liquid. The potential for punctures and vacuum losses is also reduced.

In addition, the use of Surlyn® makes the Amcor OptiSur glossier than with polyethylene alternatives; provides complete seal integrity – even if water, brine or fat spots occur in the sealing area; allows higher production speeds through low temperature seal initiation; facilitates meat adhesion, which reduces the separation of meat juices inside the pack and helps retain the attractive ‘moulded’ pack shape; and improves the cost effectiveness of the overall solution thanks to the greater stiffness and sealability of Surlyn® compared to polyethylene.

Selar® VP for improved product freshness and safety
DuPont™ Selar® VP polymer is an ionomer chemistry-based resin offering diverse performance capabilities and enhanced permeability properties for fresh food packaging. Its versatility allows it to accommodate various desired packaging applications and properties requiring high and selective gas permeability to oxygen or water vapour. These properties allow packers to package fresh cut produce as well as meet FDA guidelines on products such as fresh fish, because food quality and safety can be enhanced by improving packaging breathability so that gases transfer in and out of the package. Selar® VP is able to be processed on conventional film converting and end-use equipment and maintains conventional appearance while helping to increase shelf life and freshness. Unique performance attributes of Selar® VP include controlled high oxygen transmission rates and/or water vapour transmission rates, thermoformability and mechanical stiffness and machineability. Moreover, the high-performance attributes are supplemented by the resin´s environmental benefit with 30 percent of Selar® VP´s content coming from renewable sources.

Appeel® peelable resin with anti-fog
As a seal layer in flexible lidding and labels, Appeel® lidding sealant resins offer controllable heat-seal strengths for easy, clean peeling when used on CPET, APET, PP, PS, PVC and PE rigid containers. Now, in a patented process, DuPont is able to apply an anti-fog coating to eliminate the undesirable visual effect caused by wet products that generate high humidity inside the package. At the same time the desirable performance qualities of the Appeel® sealant resin – clean and easy opening from multiple tray materials – remain unaffected. “Applications packaging fresh refrigerated products such as meat or poultry require a clear view of the product inside the package. Our combination of strong, peelable seals, while ensuring a clear view of the product inside the package, is representative of our approach to expand the solutions for meat packages beyond what is currently available in terms of product integrity, presentation and convenience,” concludes Azagury.

Photo: The use of the images (photos, slides, transparencies, etc.) granted by DuPont is authorised only in connection with the editorial material supplied by DuPont itself and cannot be used to illustrate material related to products and/or services given by companies other than DuPont.

DuPont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH, Bad Homburg v.d.H.

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