IKEA with mushrooms environmentally friendly packaging materials instead of polystyrene

Minister of Sustainable Development, UK IKEA Joanna Yarrow said that as a flat-pack furniture retailer, IKEA is considering using biodegradable "mushroom packaging materials" to reduce waste of resources, promote recycling. ,

Joanna said: "We are looking for innovative material to replace the existing packaging materials, such as the use of such material fungus mycelium alternative to polystyrene."

Mycelium by a large number of tubular hyphae slender structure, rooted in the soil of the mycorrhizal.

US Ecovative company let mycelium corn stover, corn bran and other agricultural waste clean around the growth of this fungus breed product called "mushroom packaging material".

Just a few days, fungi on fiber wound around the waste, solid and strong, followed by drying to prevent fungal growth to continue.

Ms. Yarrow said IKEA is considering the introduction of mycelium packaging materials, because "many products are used by the polystyrene packing material, but this material is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to be reused."

Polystyrene materials require thousands of years to degrade, degradation program mycelium material simple, just throw them in the garden, they can naturally degrade within a few weeks.
Source: Internet

How to effectively reduce the damage rate of packaging bags under low temperature environment

Soft plastic food packaging products less prone to deterioration in a cold environment, the shelf life can be relatively extended because of the low temperatures inhibit the reproduction and growth and the probability of food nutrients not easily oxidized, so there are moldy, rancidity and other issues of food microorganisms generally lower [ 1,2]. However, a low temperature environment has also brought side effects, reducing the probability of deterioration of the product occurs at the same time, the product will in the transportation, storage and sales process of packaging and sealing integrity of adverse effects. For example, in the production line of frozen dumplings bag rupture phenomenon does not appear, but after after frozen storage bag or seal rupture phenomenon. How to make a low temperature environment, the appropriate choice of packaging materials or packaging materials to improve performance, reduce product breakage rate in a cold environment, food companies are troubled by problems of quality.

At low temperatures, the soft polymer plastic materials have increased brittleness tendency, prone to embrittlement phenomenon. Because at low temperatures, soft plastic packaging segment corresponding molecular mobility of the polymer material to reduce the internal deformation under loads decreased, diminished capacity to resist impact, causing soft plastic packaging reduces flexibility, fragility, namely packaging material flexibility and impact resistance at low temperatures deteriorates, resulting in intolerance external shocks occurred broken bags, leak, etc. breakage. In order to improve the soft plastic packaging material at a low temperature embrittlement is not easy, you need to feed their inner join toughening additive such as, but exactly how cold, can withstand low temperatures, cold resistance should be verified by testing.

Is obtained by pendulum impact resistance at a relatively low temperature and the standard ambient conditions (mostly minus 18 ℃) under the test could, as cold is not less than a certain fixed percentage ratio (for example BOPA / LDPE composite film cold required not less than 60%), then the packaging material at low mechanical strength obvious physical deterioration does not occur, as the lower the ratio, the worse the material described cold.

First, the test method and apparatus

1. Test equipment

FIT-01 Film Impact Tester (Labthink blue light): According to the principle of conservation of energy research and development. Semicircular instrument punch at a certain speed and impact through the membrane specimen, according to the energy consumed by the punch, and thus anti-pendulum impact evaluation capability of the film.

Impact energy equipment have 1J, 2J, 3J three ranges, and can be extended to 5J, a resolution of 0.01 J; punch diameter divided Φ25.4mm, Φ19mm, Φ12.7mm are three sample clip mouth diameter Φ89mm, Φ60mm two kinds; and pneumatically clamping the specimen. In addition the device can be used for precise determination of material plastic film, sheet, composite film, foil and other anti-pendulum impact energy, but also for paper, cardboard and other anti-pendulum impact energy test smoke Metallized paper bag, Tetra Pak paper packaging plastic composite film.

Figure 1FIT-01 film impact tester

2. test procedure

Anti-pendulum impact test method to be tested in the cold can reference GB8809 "plastic film anti-pendulum impact test method."

(1) cutout

Respectively, from No. 1, No. 2 specimen surface and cut 10cm × 10cm sample each 20, and placed in 23 ± 2 ℃, at least 4h at 45% ~ 55% RH environment.

(2) Thickness

Thickness of the sample were tested No.1 2. The center position of the test specimen of each point, the thickness of the two samples were collected from 20 samples the arithmetic mean of the test results.

(3) low temperature

The two samples from each of 10 randomly-cut sample into -18 ℃ low temperature environment 2h.

(4) Equipment Calibration

Selection of appropriate diameter punch and impact range, so that the test results of the sample between 10% to 90% range is selected. The test selected diameter Φ12.7mm punch, sample jaws diameter Φ89mm, the impact of the range of 3J. In accordance with the requirements of the equipment calibration.

(5) test specimens at room temperature

The specimen in the clamping device, depress the gas pedal, the clamp specimen. Click the Test option, punch down, impact of the sample, the device automatically displays the test results of the sample. This operation is repeated until the 1st, 10 samples Sample No. 2, without low temperature tests were completed.

(6) low temperature sample test

After the sample cold treatment is complete, remove, according to (5) of the step test.

Second, the results and discussion

Pendulum impact resistance of the film after -18 ℃ environment can be measured placed measured divided by the standard environmental conditions of the film anti-pendulum impact energy is cold, the unit is%.

After testing, the cold sample No. 1 was 85.4%, cold sample No. 2 was 95.2% .1 cold sample number was significantly lower than sample 2, which is a low temperature environment under the 1st sample flexibility have decreased big deterioration, brittleness increased significantly, significantly reduce the impact of packaging performance, tolerability impact, crush, drop a large degree of performance degradation and other destructive, and sample No. 2 in the low temperature flexibility than the change small, still maintain a high impact strength, which is caused by the cold northern regions 1 package of instant noodles sample breakage rate increase and an important reason for the 2nd instant noodle packaging is damaged samples showed no significant change.

Third, the summary

Cold is an important performance indicator soft plastic packaging materials, packaging materials, is the assessment of changes in the physical properties of flexibility at low temperatures, is an indicator of the product packaging should focus on low-temperature environment in circulation. By selecting the appropriate resin material to improve materials packaging materials processing, add the appropriate amount of the plasticizer, the choice of having a good low temperature resistance of packaging materials and other measures can effectively improve the cold bag to prevent bag breakage rate at a low temperature environment increase. Labthink has always been committed to providing professional and welcoming packaging testing equipment testing services to customers worldwide. Learn more information about the testing instruments, Labthink blue light and look forward to the industry enterprises and institutions to promote technology exchange and cooperation.
Source: Labthink

Paper packaging advantages are obvious into mainstream food packaging

Data show: plastic used in food packaging plastics accounted for 1/4 of the total output, it can be said that the plastic used in food packaging appeared, there is waste generated. In supermarkets and shopping malls, many food packaging are made of plastic. Puffed food plastic inflatable packaging can be moisture, oxidation, protect flavor, blocking sunlight and prevent squeezed, but so much is packed in a tremendous waste of resources; and instant noodle packaging, plastic packaging is much more than paper bowl (or bucket) packaging, on the market or bottled bowl of instant noodles sales price is generally higher than with the quality of the sales price of 1/3 bags of instant noodles, but because of this convenience food packaging, especially when traveling, direct red after opening the hot water can be eaten, do not take other packing containers, so popular with consumers.

With the improvement of environmental protection requirements, consumers eliminate backward package is necessary. Improvement of plastic materials is imperative. Food market segments, you can try paper packaging paper, plastic waste and reduce environmental pollution, which is to the benefit of future generations.

Paper and packaging industry need to upgrade innovation

From the international market, to this year, global demand for corrugated boxes will be an annual growth rate of 3.4 percent up to 213 billion square meters. Moreover, where a large part of the growth will come from China, the global packaging is to usher in a "China era." However, the packaging industry is also facing many challenges, explore innovative models become inevitable. Reduce the environmental impact of packaging, increase the flexibility of the packaging process, improve packaging automation, improved ease of use packaging, improve packaging of integrated service package to multifunction and single polarization direction, these will become an important future direction of development corrugated packaging industry.

First, the transformation of innovation

The current companies are looking to transition through the packaging innovation, turn thinking, transfer method, transfer operations, turn the result. Maximizing process comprehensively promote the whole industry's packaging technology advances, leading the new trend of China's packaging, realize the value chain, the China Packaging a variety of ways to show to the world. One is looking for gaps in the industry, namely packaging waste recycling, reuse, such as the shared system tray; the second is to occupy the commanding heights of industry, namely the development and manufacture of low-carbon green packaging materials, such as foam stone paper; third is to Get industry commanding point, namely packaging services, such as integrated systems design, development, testing, certification, training and other services, to create high service platform packaging; Fourth, to promote innovation and technological progress packaging technology appliance industry. Transition way corrugated packaging industry are: from high emissions, high energy to low-emission, low-carbon transition; three functional packaging transition to international; packaging services to packaging integrated solutions transformation.

Second, management innovation

Packaging should focus on quality management and innovative ways to achieve customer satisfaction oriented. Study and implementation of advanced process control methods to manage the quality of the production process as soon as possible, and continuously improve product quality, enhance the competitiveness of enterprises. Customer demand for the center, the customer's needs into technical specifications for each stage of product development design, with the lowest cost, to achieve maximum customer satisfaction. A package quality problems usually lead to a number of quality cost factors. Quality cost analysis to do is to find out the relationship between quality and costs associated cost factors between the quality and packaging, and then determine the order and the specific response measures to eliminate quality problems.

Needless to say, the concept of reasonable package is to make the level of protection packaging, product affordability and logistics environment fit. In fact, most of the products are not required to ensure one hundred percent intact rate during transport, taking into account the relationship between performance and cost of protection is needed is a modest breakage rate. Moderate grasp this is a very difficult job. This job requires us to consider two questions: How technology to achieve, achieve cost is reasonable.

Third, the "green" innovation

The global economy and the industrial system is the rise in packaging revolution as a precursor of zero packaging, simplified packaging, green packaging conceived and implemented, green products and green packaging will become the new hot spot. The packaging industry should not only be concerned about the quality, performance and cost of packaging products, but also to be concerned about the environmental impact of packaging products and resource consumption. So, the only option for green packaging is the packaging industry sustainable development is only developing.

The rapid development of China's food industry, the paper packaging provides a broad space for development. The global appeal of the environment green packaging, paper packaging will usher in greater opportunities, green packaging will become the main trend of the future development of bakery products packaging industry, paper and wood, paper and plastic, paper and glass, paper and on behalf of the metal, it has become the consensus of sustainable development. Paper packaging has a more natural renewable raw materials and environmentally friendly recycling, full of development potential.

Source: China Packaging Machinery Network

Three categories of environmental plastic packaging

If you press the raw materials that so environmentally friendly plastic bags mainly into three categories: recycled plastics, biodegradable plastics and edible plastic.

First, the recycled plastic

Recycled plastic is reused plastic, after grinding operation by mechanical blade, thereby completing the re-use of plastics.

Recycled plastic refers to the processing of waste plastics by pretreatment, melt granulation, modified, and other physical or chemical means re-obtain plastic raw materials, plastic is reused.

Plastics recycling biggest advantage is the price is cheaper than the new material, although it is the performance of the property as a whole are not as strong new material, but we did not need to use the kind of performance in all aspects of property and many products are good material productions to make it, so no need to waste a lot of attributes, and recycled materials will be different, depending on the needs, only one aspect of the process attribute, it is possible to create a corresponding product can be, so do not let the loss of resources .

Second, biodegradable plastics

Biodegradable plastics is the added amount of the additive in the production process (such as starch, modified starch or other cellulosic, photosensitizers, biodegradation and the like), decreased stability, easier in the natural environment biodegradable plastic. Biodegradable plastic is divided into four categories:

1, biodegradable plastics

Holding dry, without dark, wide range of applications, not only it can be used for agricultural film, bags, and is widely used in the field of medicine. With the development of modern biotechnology, bio-degradable plastics more and more attention, it has become a hot research and development of a new generation.

2, the light-degradable plastics

Photosensitizer incorporated in the plastic, the plastic in the sunshine gradually decompose. It belongs to an earlier generation of degradable plastics, the drawback is the time due to sunlight degradation and climate change are difficult to predict, and therefore can not control the degradation time.

3, water degradable plastics

Add water-absorbing material in the plastic, disposable after use in water that can dissolve away, mainly for medical and health aspects appliances (such as medical gloves), to facilitate destruction and disinfection.

4, light / biodegradable plastics

The combination of light and microbial degradation of a type of plastic, it also has the characteristics of light and microbial degradation of plastics.

Third, edible plastic

Edible plastic, is an edible packaging, ie, edible packaging, generally composed of starch, protein, polysaccharide, fat, complex class composition of matter, is widely used as plastic wrap, packaging films, high packaging, food packaging, Pastry packaging, flavoring and packaging.

With the development of modern food industry, food packaging constantly updated, one can improve the contradiction between environmental protection, new packaging materials and food packaging technology materials - edible packaging stand out. Edible packaging material means that after the realization of the function when the packaging, the material can be transformed into an animal or human edible raw materials, packaging materials can be achieved is a function of the transformation of special packaging materials. Edible packaging material is a waste-free packaging, is a resource-based environmentally friendly packaging materials.

Source: Internet

Food Packaging Evolution

Food packaging is a topic of ancient and modern, both ancient agrarian age, or science developed today, are the people throughout the research and exploration of the topic.

   As early as in ancient times, humans began to explore food packaging. Ancient human to make long-term storage or portable food, they put leaves or vines loaded food prepared in blue, or mount bamboo tube.

   Around 1000 BC, the Greeks with cask as food containers and packaging, and outputs the country, at a time when consumers use packaging made from sheep or pigskin placing food to carry.

   As early as 3,000 years ago in ancient China, people have started using ceramics as canned food containers to be enclosed. Which are described in detail in "Arts for the People", "the great cause of Supplements" and other books.

   Food packaging in the true sense, canned food stored from the beginning, which originated in the early 19th century. 1804, French Appert successfully use glass bottles to save food, since the emergence of the use of glass as a food packaging cork.

   1810, British Durand made successful use of food packaging made of tinplate, the so-called tin cans. Thereafter, more and more metallic material is used for the manufacture of food packaging.

   Early 20th century, all kinds of plastic, paper composite cans into production, so that food packaging containers made of rigid canister to extend soft cans, containers varieties more innovative, diverse and practical.

   Around 1960, Taiwan imported plastic films for food packaging, from the early single MSG bags to today combine plastic film, metal foil, paper and other permutations and combinations of high-performance multi-layer flexible packaging materials, has become a mainstream food packaging.

   In recent years, high barrier film material because of its barrier properties, light weight and other characteristics become an important trend in the development of food flexible packaging materials, EHA Xiamen long plastic barrier film developed, with its excellent barrier properties, high-temperature cooking, as well as the case of the same barrier properties thinner, become an excellent representative of this trend.

Source: Internet

Food packaging machine at an average growth rate of 11% to 12% growth per year

Food vacuum packaging food into the bags, taking the air bag package, after reaching a predetermined degree of vacuum, complete the sealing process. Various cooked products such as chicken, ham, sausage, grilled fish, beef jerky; pickled products such as pickled vegetables and a wide variety of fresh foods require soy, fruit and other more and more use of vacuum packaging. Vacuum-packed foods long shelf life, greatly extending the shelf life of food. Our vacuum packaging machine started in the late 1970s, only 100 kinds of product variety, to the current product varieties has reached more than 3000 kinds.

In recent years, food and vacuum packaging machine industry average annual growth rate of 11% to 12% growth, while total sales are about 10% growth in the rate of growth. In terms of market size, food vacuum packaging machine market demand may reach 230 billion yuan. Currently vacuum-packed products have been widely used in people's lives. Vacuum-packed product has many advantages, quality and freshness, corrosion and rust, the space occupied by small, easy to carry and so on. The small home vacuum packaging machine is becoming a market darling. Given the time to market for household vacuum packaging machine is not very long, not high degree of commercial food vacuum packaging machine in terms of market penetration. On the technical side, in general, China's food and packaging machinery more with a single, complete sets of small, generic models and more, to meet the special requirements, special materials, equipment less. More low-tech products, high-tech value-added, high-productivity products less; intelligent device is still in the development stage.

Chinese food vacuum packaging machine market research and prospects of Chinese industry research Posted forecast (2015-2020) said: Although China vacuum packaging machinery yet it is in the initial stages of development, but in our country there is no refrigeration skills throughout the situation, skills in the use of vacuum packaging can greatly reduce the loss of fruit thinning, grain and oil storage and transportation experience; moreover, the use of vacuum packaging is simple, easy to automate with batch disposition, lower cost, will be accounted for in the packaging industry with our fresh food Habitat increasingly important position. Information from the China Food Industry Association, the National Development and Reform Commission has food processing and food packaging machinery as a key priority in the field of industrial development, in the future a longer period of time, China's food processing and packaging machinery, the annual growth rate is expected to exceed 12% .

                                                                                  Source: Internet