OPTIBARRIER: Optimal barriers for sustainablefood packaging: balance between over- and underpackaging. (OPTIBARRIER)

Since 2005 Pack4Food has been building a network that brings companies, research institutes and the government together to package food products in a better way. The reason for this project was based on questions from various stakeholders (packaging producers, food producers, retailers) whether the packaging material currently used is the most optimal material to guarantee the shelf life of the food. This was partly driven by the increasing attention for sustainability both in terms of material use (e.g. mono vs. multilayer packaging) and in terms of reducing food losses. This was reflected in an increasing need among stakeholders for specific implementable knowledge about the link between barrier properties of packaging materials and their functionality towards the packaged food in terms of quality (microbiological spoilage, color stability) and safety (outgrowth pathogens, migration).

The VIS-project OPTIBARRIER consisted of three specific subprojects concerning the central issue: overpacking vs. underpacking. In the first subproject, the effect of different gas barrier levels (e.g. mono vs. multilayer packaging), resulting in different dynamic oxygen concentrations, was studied on the shelf life of food products. The second subproject focused on the light barrier of packaging and more specifically on the interaction between light exposure, light transmission of the package, the dynamic oxygen concentration in the package and the resulting shelf life of food products. The third subproject investigated how a functional barrier can be integrated into packaging materials to reduce (specific) migration (e.g. mineral oils) from these materials to the food. All this was supported by an extensive dissemination and implementation pillar, specifically aimed at the broad target group of companies.

Each subproject consisted of different subtasks and tests were carried out by the different research institutes for each of these subtasks, including storage tests for different food products (short shelf life, medium shelf life and long shelf life products) packaged in a reference, a low barrier packaging and a high barrier packaging. A number of important conclusions or lessons learned have emerged from this, such as:

• for products with a short shelf life, it was possible to switch to monolayer materials or to simplified materials (with fewer layers),

• for medium shelf life products, the interaction between oxygen and light proved to be crucial; in many cases a multilayer material was still necessary, but it was possible to switch to a multilayer composition that is considered to be more recyclable,

• the addition of an oxygen absorber to the package led to a better color and odor stability when the meat product was packaged in a high barrier package. In a low barrier package, the addition of an oxygen absorber proved to be inefficient,

• the presence of an outer PE layer on a moisture-sensitive high barrier packaging is important to adequately preserve the oxygen barrier. The position of the different layers in a multilayer packaging can also be crucial for the gas barrier properties,

• the type of food product can influence migration of components from the package to the food product.