Meat in a carton: What was unthinkable a few years ago has long since become a common packaging alternative. Instead of a plastic tray, a cardboard box is used that is lined with a thin film – the so-called viewing window. The cardboard is usually made from 100 percent renewable raw materials.
Driven by consumer expectations and legal requirements, manufacturers are working flat out on innovative packaging for meat and sausage products, but also for new meat products, which are a trend. Therefore, innovations in packaging are aimed at reducing the use of materials, using more mono-materials, increasing recyclability, and the increased use of renewable raw materials. The less material, the better, is the motto.
Ideally, this packaging is recyclable or biodegradable and can be fed into a closed material cycle. However, it should also meet the highest standards in terms of safety, durability, and quality. Freshness, hygiene, color retention, functionality, and efficient production should also be guaranteed. In addition, an attractive, high-quality appearance should provide an incentive to buy at the point of sale.
Proven Flow Packs
One type of packaging that fulfils these requirements as much as possible is resealable flow packs for sliced meat, sausage, and cheese products. Flow packs – also known as tubular bags – have been a favored packaging concept for a long time. These flow packs are among the most dimensionally stable packaging, are produced using less material, and score points during transport and on supermarket shelves due to their smaller footprint. However, the demand for recyclable alternatives is also growing for this packaging system.
Vacuum packaging is a tried-and-tested packaging method for extending the shelf life of meat products. They can almost double the shelf life of minced meat compared to modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), explains machine manufacturer Ulma Packaging. “In addition, this type of packaging does not require very thick films, which means that significantly less plastic is used. If the plastic film in the packaging is replaced by a paper fiber-based material, plastic consumption can be reduced to a minimum.”
Hygienic Design is Important
Switching to alternative materials is a particular challenge for food packaging, as product protection and hygiene requirements are especially high in this area. For example, the goods must be protected from moisture or oxygen to prevent spoilage. The packaging has an appropriate barrier to ensure that moist or greasy food, for example, does not penetrate the packaging. However, these barriers have previously been a problem in the recycling process.
The latest generation of PP- and PE-based flow packs by Südpack are an example of material reduction and recyclability. For example, “ground meat in a bag” is a solution for packaging ground meat. Compared to conventional solutions, this recyclable packaging concept can achieve overall material savings of up to 60 percent and a significant improvement in the CO2 footprint without sacrificing the necessary barrier properties, according to the company.
PP, PE, and PET are among the preferred polymers for the production of food packaging, which must also fulfil the high requirements in terms of recyclability and material efficiency. However, due to their specific properties, these material structures are not as easy to process as conventional composites. Packaging manufacturer Südpack and packaging machinery engineering company Multivac are working together to ensure that the sustainable packaging materials can be used on standard packaging machines without any problems.
Multivac cites the high-performance slicing line for raw ham products as an example. “The new Peel PET floatable from Südpack comes into play as a sustainable alternative as a peelable lidding film for thermoformed or MAP packaging. This is because the lower density of the sealable top films on mono-APET trays allows them to be separated from the material flow of the APET bottom film during the recycling process, which can then be recycled by type and fed into the corresponding material streams,” the company says.
Südpack is currently also working with the chemical company BASF on the topic of alternative packaging and has developed food packaging with recycled content. In future, the large butchery Werz will supply meat and sausages to BASF catering in polyamide films made from partially recycled plastic. The recycled plastic content is provided by a BASF chemical process in which pyrolysis oil is obtained from mixed plastic waste. BASF uses this to produce new polyamide on the basis of mass balancing. Südpack uses the new granulate to produce thermos-formed packaging for contact-sensitive applications. BASF has registered the material under the brand name Ultramid Ccycled. The packaging is somewhat more expensive, but has advantages when it comes to disposal, as it can be fed into the dual system.
Recyclable packaging also increases the added value of products, as numerous consumer studies have shown. Paper-based materials also offer an alternative. This is made possible on the one hand by paper with barrier properties, and on the other by machines that can process flow packs produced in this way in the same way as the conventional version.
Focus on Technical Properties
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV) use data to develop alternative packaging materials. By analyzing CO₂ concentrations in packaging, they can simulate the shelf life of products and adapt materials accordingly. Using shelf-life simulation, scientists can predict which technical properties packaging needs to have in order for a product to retain its flavor.
AI-based systems also support material savings. They analyze different packaging designs in terms of shelf life, eco-balance, and recyclability in order to develop solutions with minimal use of materials.
By Anna Ntemiris, Editor
