WHITE PAPER SHELF LIFE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING THE WHOLE PACKAGE AMETEK MOCON April 2024 Content: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Case Study Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 The Package Testing Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

BARRIER DIFFERENCES: FLAT MATERIALS VS FINISHED PACKAGES WHITE PAPER the pouches, the pouches were predicted to have an OTR below 0.0004 cc/(pkg • day) and a WVTR below 0.0004 g/(pkg • day). However, once the completed pouches were tested, both the OTR and WVTR were significantly higher than anticipated (Table 3). Examination of the pouches revealed that there were defects along the crease of the package sidewall, which allowed more water vapor and oxygen to permeate into the package than was expected (Fig. 1). It was only through testing completed pouches that the manufacturer was made aware...

FINISHED PACKAGE BARRIERS: ONLY AS GOOD AS THE WEAKEST LINK WHITE PAPER Case Study 2: Bottle vs. Closure Case Study 3: Retort Packaging, OTR Testing, and Shelf Life A health supplement is packaged in polymer bottles with simple cap closures. Permeation testing was conducted on bottles with and without these closures to determine how they impact the WVTR. To test bottles with closures, nitrogen gas lines were inserted into the bottle (Fig. 2). After the bottles were purged of oxygen, the tests were allowed to run to equilibrium. To test only the bottle body with no closure, the bottle was affixed...

THE IMPORTANCE OF WHOLE-PACKAGE PERMEATION TESTING WHITE PAPER The Package Testing Process Testing packages operates on the same principles as testing films, but requires a special test setup. Figure 7 shows a common method for testing packages; while it shows a test measuring OTR, a similar test setup can be used for WVTR. An empty package is sealed inside a bag or capture vessel and epoxied to a metal plate with gas lines going into the bag and package. The inside of the package is purged with N2, and the test gas is then introduced into the bag or capture vessel surrounding the package. These...