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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing

Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing
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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing - 1

WHITE PAPER OPTIMIZED PACKAGE DESIGN FOR SHELF LIFE THROUGH PERMEATION TESTING AMETEK MOCON April 2024 Content: Cost of under-packaging and over-packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 What is permeation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Steps to design an optimized packaging system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Case study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing - 2

COST OF UNDER-PACKAGING OR OVER-PACKAGING WHITE PAPER • Under-packaging (inadequate barriers, improper gauges, wrong material choices, poor seams and seals etc.) allows the transmission of some compound(s) at a rate that causes product degradation faster than the desired shelf life. Repercussions from under-packaging can range from product complaints and returns all the way potentially to voided warranties or legal action. This could cause financial loss and damage to your brand reputation. • Over-packaging can be a significant waste of money and material resources. Oftentimes, a lack of...

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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing - 3

STEPS TO ACHIEVE OPTIMIZED PACKAGE DESIGN WHITE PAPER What is Permeation and How to Measure It? Driven by concentration difference or gradient of the interested permeant (gas or vapor), the permeation process follows the three steps of absorption-diffusion-desorption for a permeant to go through a material (Fig 2). In practical application, the transmission rate (TR), is the most common way to report the “flux” of gas moving through a polymer. The transmission rates for oxygen (OTR), water vapor (WVTR) and carbon dioxide CO2 (CO2TR) can be measured by permeation analyzers with different...

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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing - 4

CASE STUDY WHITE PAPER Case Study Using Permeation Data in the Package Design Process This case study will demonstrate how transmission rate testing can help ensure that your packaging materials will provide the desired protection to meet your shelf life target. Additionally they show how crucial it is to perform permeation analysis of not only the barrier materials but also the final finished package. Package design for single serving of potato chips in a flexible pouch Case Study Part 1: Theoretical Package Design Calculation In the early stage of a package design, where does one start?...

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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing - 5

CASE STUDY WHITE PAPER Case Study Part 2: Candidate Film Testing Knowing that the intended product (potato chips) is usually high in fatty oils, a good oxygen barrier is required to protect it from oxidation. It is essential to test the OTR of the metalized film samples before they are converted to pouches. Fig 3. OX-TRAN 2/22 Permeation Analyzer The OTR test was conducted on MOCON OX-TRAN 2/22 (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). Then the film OTR results are used to calculate a theoretical OTR of the pouch based on the dimensions. The theoretical pouch OTR results shown in Table 1 appear to satisfy the...

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Optimizing Shelf Life with Permeation Testing - 6

In most cases, the finished packages will have higher transmission rates than the theoretical estimates due to small defects along the seams, seals and closures which negatively affected its OTR performance. This is a common reason many products on the market don’t reach their anticipated shelf life. WHITE PAPER Fig 6. Variety of package testing inside OX-TRAN 2/40 This is a scenario of under-packaging thus leading to wasted product and unhappy customers. The package test results were above the calculated target TR which would indicate they would not provide the desired shelf life. In order...

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