Functions of packaging

Functions of packaging
If the device or container performs one or more of these functions, it is considered a
package.
• Containment
• Protection
• Preservation
• Communication
• Utility
• Performance
• Information about the product
• Brand communication
• Promotion
• Economy
 Containment
• All products must be contained before they can be moved from one place
to another.
• The "package", whether it is a bottle of cola or a bulk cement rail wagon,
must contain the product to function successfully.
• Without containment, product loss and pollution would be wide spread.
• The containment function of packaging 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.
 Protection
The need for protection depends on the food product but generally
includes prevention of
• Biological contamination (from microorganisms, insects, rodents), oxidation
(of lipids, flavors, colors, vitamins, etc.),

• Moisture change (which affects microbial growth, oxidation rates, and food
texture), aroma loss or gain, and

• Physical damage (abrasion, fracture, and/or crushing).

• Protection can also include providing tamper evident features on the package.
• In providing protection, packaging maintains food safety and quality achieved
by refrigeration, freezing, drying, heat processing, and other preservation of
foods.
 Convenience

• Providing convenience (sometimes referred to as utility of use or functionality)

to consumers has become a more important function of packaging.

• Range of sizes, easy handling, easy opening and dispensing, resealability, and
food preparation in the package are examples of packaging providing
convenience to the consumer.
 Preservation

• Product protection is the most important function of packaging.

• Protection means the establishment of a barrier between the

contained product and the environment that competes with man
for the product.
 Communication

• The information that a package provides involves meeting both legal

requirements and marketing objectives.

• Food labels are required to provide information on the food processor,

ingredients (including possible allergens in simple language), net
content, nutrient contents, and country of origin.

• Package graphics are intended to communicate product quality and,

thus, sell the product.

• Bar codes allow rapid check-out and tracking of inventory.

 Communication
• Other package codes allow determination of food production location and
date.
• Various open dating systems inform the consumer about the shelf life of
the food product.
• Plastic containers incorporate a recycling code for identification of the
plastic material.
 Unitization

• Unitization is assembly or grouping of a number of individual

items of products or packages into a single entity that can be
more easily distributed, marketed, or purchased as a single unit.

• For example: a paperboard folding carton containing three

flexible material pouches of seasoning or soup mix delivers
more product to a consumer than does a single pouch.

• A paperboard carton wrapped around 12 beer bottles provides

more desired liquid refreshment for home entertainment than
does an attempt to carry individual bottles in one’s hands.

• Unitization reduces the number of handlings required in physical

distribution and, thus, reduces the potential for damage.
 Information about the product

• Packaging is one of the major

communications media.

• Usually overlooked in the measured

media criteria, packaging is the main
communications link between the
consumer or user and the manufacturer,
at both the point of purchase and the
point of use.

• Packaging educates consumers about

requirements, product ingredients and
uses etc.
Brand communication

• Packaging provides brand communication to the consumers by the use of

typography, symbols, illustrations, advertising and colour, thereby
creating visual impact.
Promotion
• Packaging helps to promote the food as it informs to consumers about
many offers i.e. free extra product, new product, money off etc.
 Economy

• The package is also an important part of the manufacturing process and

must be efficiently filled, closed, and processed at high speeds in order to
reduce costs.
• It must be made of materials which are rugged enough to provide
protection during distribution but be of low enough cost for use with foods.

• Packaging costs, which include the materials as well as the packaging

machinery, are a significant part of the cost of manufacturing foods, and in
many cases, these costs can be greater than the cost of the raw
ingredients used to make the food.

• Therefore, packaging materials must be economical, given the value of the

food product.
Other functions of packaging
• Other functions of packaging include apportionment of the product into
standard units of weight, measure, or quantity prior to purchase.

• Yet another objective is to facilitate product use by the consumer with

devices such as spouts, squeeze bottles, and spray cans.

• Aerosols not only serve as dispensers, but also prepare the product for
use, such as aerating the contained whip toppings.
• Still other forms of packaging are used in further preparation of the product
by the consumer.
for example tea bags that are plastic-coated, porous paper pouches, or
frozen dinner trays, which were originally aluminum and now are fabricated
from other materials such as crystallized polyester and polyester-coated
paperboard.
 Types of packaging

• Flexible Film

Example: Plastic film, Aluminium foil

• Semi regid container

Example: Paper board/ Cardboard, PVC

• Regid container

Example: Glass, Tin, HDPE

 Flexible film

• Plastic film

• Polyethylene

• Polypropylene

• Cellophane

• Aluminium sheet

• Butter paper
 Flexible film - Cellophane
• First commercial flexible film.
• It is a natural plastic film derived from bleached pulp
which is treated with acid and alkali and then
plasticized to get cellophane.
• It can be suitably coated on one side to impart various
functional properties.
• This is a low cost film.
• Moisture proof, heat sealable and transparent.
• Earlier, nitrocellulose coated cellophane was very much
in use for the packaging of fresh meat in developed
countries, where its coated side was kept away from
meat.
 Polyethylene

• Polyethylene (PE) is the most commonly used plastic film of these days
due to low cost, easy availability and unique properties.
• It is obtained by polymerization of ethylene.
• Linear Low Density Poly ethylene (LLDPE)
• Low Density Poly ethylene (LDPE)
• Medium Density Poly ethylene (MDPE)
• High Density Poly ethylene (HDPE)
 Polypropylene (PP)
• Another plastic film which is also in general use.
• Good gloss, high flex strength and resistance.
• It softens at a temperature of 150°C, so it can be used to pack food
products at moderately high temperature.
• It is also sometimes used for packaging those raw meat products which
are subjected to heat treatment or cooked in the pack itself at a later stage.
• The film is readily heat sealable and has low water vapour
permeability.
• It also shows a good resistance to oil and grease. It is used in making
laminates also.
 Paper
• Glassine is smooth, dense, transparent or semi-transparent paper
manufactured primarily from chemical wood pulps. It has good resistance to
grease and air.

• A plasticizer may be added to make the paper still more soft and
machinable.

• It may be waxed, lacquered or laminated to be impervious to the

transmission of moisture vapour.

• This is used for wrapping fatty cuts and bacon.

• Parchment paper has good grease resistance and high wet strength.
These papers are sometimes used to wrapping bacon and other fatty cuts
of meat.
 Aluminium foil
• Aluminum Foil Plain aluminum foil is used for
packaging food products.

• Thin guage aluminum foil with pin holes are

generally laminated to paper or plastic film with
bonding agent to make suitable laminates.

• These laminates are used to package food products

requiring protection against light, water vapour and
gases especially dehydrated cooked meat.

• One disthict advantage of using aluminum foil as

the outer layer of a laminate is that it provides a
very good base for colourful and decorative printing.
 Semirigid packaging

• Paper board sheets are cut, folded into desired form and glued.
• Comers can be made stronger.
• The material can be made as set up paper board boxes or folding carton
or tray as per the demand.
• It provides convenience, strength and good product protection.
• PET (polyethylene terepthalate) and PVC plastic sheets can
be moulded in shape, size and colour to suit specific product
requirements.

• PET bottles and containers are extremely clear, virtually

unbreakable and very light weight.
• They are ideal for the packaging of pickled meat products. They
provide enhanced visual appeal to the products.
 Semirigid packaging

• Plain aluminum foil of higher guage either alone or in combination with

paper or plastic foils can be pressure formed into desired shapes to serve
as semi-rigid containers for various types of food products.

• Moulded pulp containers are the cheapest packaging for the shell eggs.
• They allow wholesale trading of eggs along with the tray
 Rigid Plastic materials
• Glass containers are very old and versatile packages for food
packaging.
• Glass has many unique properties to our advantage.
• It is chemically inert and is an excellent barrier to solids, liquids and
gases.
• It can be molded in various shapes and sizes and also allows excellent
product visibility.
• Glass bottles are used for packaging meat pickles etc.
• The main drawbacks of glass containers are the risk of breakage and
comparatively heavy weight.
 Metal cans
• Metal cans are primarily used for commercially sterilized food products.
• Iron sheet used for making can has very thin tin coating on either side.
• It is generally applied to check rusting and corrosion of metal cans on long
term storage.
• To make the metal can more suitable for food application, a further very
thin coating of enamel or lacquer is applied to the tin.
• For canning of meat products, a sulphur-resistant lacquer is preferred to
check black discolouration of the product.
• Can bodies are soldered or welded. The product is hermatically (air tight)
sealed in the can.
 Rigid thermoformed plastic containers
• Rigid thermoformed plastic containers are made by exposing the plastic
sheet to heat and forming into various shapes either individual pieces or in
combination.
• The plastic used in the thermoformed trays are high density polyethylene,
polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride.
• In developed countries, thermoformed polystyrene foam trays are used for
containing fresh meat pieces or chunks which is then overwrapped with
low density polyethylene.

Fibreboard containers, wooden boxes and

plastic crates are used as wholesale or
shipping containers.