Smart packaging

The continual adaptation of product presentation for new market niches and consumer needs (safer, more nutritional, longer-lasting and high quality foods) means that the evolution of packaging systems is just as dynamic as that of new products, with new formats, packaging and materials etc. constantly appearing on the market (e.g. plastic materials with similar properties to glass).

The demand for ease and safety guides the design of food packaging throughout the world. Ease refers to the ease of opening, the possibility of resealing the packaging once opened, etc. In packaging innovation, it is also crucial to bear factors such as environmental awareness and differentiation in mind, among others.

AZTI-Tecnalia will help you to design and create “bespoke” packaging, fully adapted to the product, and in accordance with the specific requirements of the food contained. So, the design (opaqueness, for example), permeability, gas composition, type of material used, etc., will depend on the product.

Furthermore, ready-to-cook packaged products adapt perfectly to the pace of life led by modern consumers, and mean they can be cooked without removing them from the packaging (packaging prepared for microwave ovens, steam cooking, etc.). These new solutions prolong shelf-life and improve hygiene.

Maintaining quality for longer with active packaging

The most frequent cause of alteration in most fresh or processed foods is bacterial growth. New smart packaging techniques modify packaging conditions to prolong shelf-life, produce safer foods and maintain organoleptical characteristics for longer. These systems help to increase the shelf-life of the product, which undoubtedly benefits the consumer, but also provides an economic advantage for producers.

Active packaging refers to materials and objects aimed at increasing conservation time, or maintaining or improving the condition of packaged food, and which are purposefully designed to incorporate components that transmit substances to the packaged food and their environment, or absorb substances from the packaged foods or the environment.

Why not make edible packaging?

Edible films and coatings help to improve food conservation owing to their good barrier properties and can also add functional and nutritional properties to the food. Delay no more and move over to edible coatings right away; they offer a whole host of advantages: renewable resources, biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic, anti-bacterial materials with excellent barrier properties.

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