Food Packaging: Ancient History to Modern Society - Research Paper

Introduction

Food packages or food containers are vessels or apparatus designed to store and transport foodstuffs. Primarily, these vessels are manufactures to provide protection and tampering resistance to the packed foodstuffs (Yam, 2009). The idea of food storage began back in the early civilization where cereal grains such as barley, wheat, and maize were stored in sizeable airy building raised from the ground to control infestation by vermin and pests. However, in the modern contemporary society food containers or packages are made from a variety of materials from metal to plastic to refrigerators to disposable containers. Moreover, the packages are also imperative and necessary for the display of biological, unique physical and chemical requirements such as the information about the food offered for sale as well as the nutrition facts labels. Therefore, this research paper underscores as a discussion on the types, functions, and the manufacturing process of food containers namely metallic, plastic glass and wrappers.

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Overview and Significance of Food Containers Manufacturing

Proper food packaging and storage is essential not only for food quality preservation, for reduction use of preservatives and minimizing food wastage but also for human health safety and protection. Effective food containing is a fundamental requirement in the food industry, and various innovations have revolutionized the manufacturing process to achieve these qualities and functions (In Han, 2013). The primary goal of this research paper is to underscore a detailed discussion of the fabrication of containers for the food industry. An insightful examination of the functions and emerging issues in the field of food container fabrication is very crucial for research and improvements of current containers to improve the quality and shelf life of food stored (Yam, 2009). Notably, different types of food require different types of storage and packaging containers hence different types of food containers designed and engineered in their unique way to add value to the intended functions. Metal (stainless steel), glass and plastic containers are the raw material for food containers. Nonetheless, stainless steel for metallic containers and polyethylene terephthalate for bags are ideal for dairy product storage and airtight food storage respectively.

Functions of Food Containers

In the food industry, packaging and package labelling are significant and have several objectives. The following are the critical functions of food containers.

Physical Protection, to begin with, is a fundamental requirement for both stored and under transit foodstuffs. Different food containers are devised to enclose the food and provide protection to food from physical parameters such as shocks, temperatures, compressions, vibration, and bacteria. Furthermore, food containers are also fabricated to offer barrier protections; here permeation is a critical design factor as some packages are designed to contain oxygen absorbers or desiccants to aid in prolonging of the food shelf life (Tewari & Juneja, 2006). With that respect, controlled or modified atmospheres are maintained in some food containers to keep the content safe, clean, fresh to increase the shelf life at the same time protecting loss of water vapour and dust contamination.

Marketing and Information Transmission: packaging has much more additional roles to play than just food preservation. The labels and the packaging itself is a marketing strategy for most food companies as they use them for marketing their products to encourage potential buyers about the effectiveness of their products. Other additional qualities such as eye-appealing and aesthetically pleasing food presentation on food packages encourage most of the buyers to consider the content. For several decades now, packaging design has been a central marketing strategy for most food companies and has undergone constant evolution and innovations as a way to maximize on the strategy.

Containment and Convenience: packaging materials play a pivotal role to ensure safe handling of particular types of foods. For foodstuffs such as granular materials, powder, and liquid need containment and granular ones packed in together for efficient handling. On the other hand, packaging also adds, stacking, display, handling, sales, reclosing, use and reuse to products hence convenient (Tewari & Juneja, 2006).

Security and Portion Control: packing plays a central role in reducing the security risk of shipment. Some packages or food containers are made with the tamper-evident characteristic that makes them be more tamper resistance and resilient. The packages also serve as surfaces where necessary seals such as authentication seals and pilfer-indicating seals are mounted to attest the content are not counterfeit and to reduce pack pilferage risk respectively. Some packages also have anti-theft tags such as FRID tags, dye packs, and electronic article surveillance tags that require different tools some of which as owners oriented to deactivate. Additionally, through the small packaging of bulk commodities such as salt and cooking oils can be packed into controlled sizes convenient for household use (In Han, 2013).

Types of Food Containers and Their Uses

According to In Han (2013), different types of food require different kinds of food containers due to shapes, sizes, and shelf life. It is crucial that when one thinks of food packaging, the fundamental thing to think about is stainless steel. It is the material used to manufacture different types of the food container. Nonetheless, to preserve, transport, and store these foods manufacturers fabricate a wide array of containers from a variety of materials such as paper, glass, plastics, and metals. Containers such as plastics are further sub-divided into two categories flexible and Rigid. Based on the material used in the manufacturing food containers are divided as follows:

Glass Containers: an automated manufacturing process that requires intense heat and modelling techniques to fabricates glass containers. These glass containers are suitable for microwave heating. Moreover, the containers are considered standard because the edible grade models do not transmit harmful chemicals and hence may be used repeatedly. The transparent nature of glass also makes it useful for liquid containment to enhance display and presentation to the client. Also, Glass products are preferred more in refrigeration purposes and microwave heating since they can effectively prevent moisture build-up and odours. The glass containers are also suitable for extended storage purposes depending on their shapes or application.

Metal Containers: stainless steel is preferred and commonly used in larger food processing units to make containers such as cubic containers and aseptic tanks. Metal containers are generally suitable for protecting food content, and most of the containers are fabricated using metal to make them tamperproof. In industrial food sectors, large metal containers called drums are used for oil and liquid storage. For long-term storage, some metal containers are always treated with protective nitrogen and enamels, and others are also galvanized for the same use (Tewari & Juneja, 2006).

Plastic Containers: plastic containers mainly used for storing airtight foods. Furthermore, they are also used for many smaller storage purposes such as salt and tea packaging. Plastics fabrication includes in both rigid and semi-rigid formations and usually fabricated in lightweight. It is also imperative to note that though the plastics are suitable for multiple uses of smaller storage, plastic recycling is not recommended in food processing to prevent contamination.

Various types of plastics exits, but edible grade containers exists in three specific variants namely polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. Comparatively, polythene is more flexible and hence used in standard bucket storage purposes. Moreover, polyester, on the other hand, used both as a food container and as a material for making filmstrip used for labelling.

Paper Container or Wrappers: paper containers are used not only for transporting food but also for the cable of retaining both cold and hot foods. These containers are compostable and biodegradable, hence are suitable for recycling purpose - the containers composed of cellulose paper fibres, which is their significant property. For purposes of a business, the paper containers printed with nontoxic FDA.

Manufacturing Processes

Stainless Steel (Metal) Containers

According to Kaushish (2010), in Metal Container Fabrication: stainless steel is the primary material used to manufacture metallic food containers. It is the preferred metal for food containers because it has unique properties that are ideal for food storage. Firstly, stainless steel does not age, is resistant to corrosion, and has unique surface properties that are easy to clean. During the manufacturing process, nickel is added to help improve corrosion resistance.

fig1. stainless steel manufacturing process Kaushish, 2010, p. 46

Plastic Manufacturing

Plastic Manufacturing takes place in stages; in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the first begins with polymerization to create a long polymerized chain. After the completion of PET manufacturing, which can be used to manufacture polythene papers, the process then proceeds to bottle fabrication (Brandau & Brandau, 2012). At this stage, tests are done to ensure that the already process PET in impermeable by Carbon (IV) oxide especially those that carry Soda. Other tests done are for transparency, shatter resistance, pressure resistance, thickness, and gloss.

fig2. Plastic bottles manufacturing process (Brandau & Brandau, 2012, p. 25)

In the first stages of the manufacturing process where the thermoplastic Polyethylene Terephthalate is manufactured a lot of expertise is involved since polymerization is always complicated and always account for the inconsistencies that emerge between one batch of PET manufacturing and the other (Proud, 2007). In the polymerization of PET manufacturing process, it is critical to note that two types of impurities are formed namely acetaldehyde and diethylene glycol. In as much as the impurity diethylene glycol is produced in fewer amounts, acetaldehyde is not only produced in PET polymerization process but also the bottle manufacturing process. Hence, a large amount of accumulated in PET used for bottle fabrication in the two-process can contaminate the beverage inside the bottle and give it an odd taste (Brandau & Brandau, 2012).

Significantly, PET is the primary raw material in the bottle manufacturing process. Once the plastic has been fabricated, the first stage is stretch blow moulding. The PET is heated after which it is placed in a mould, where it takes the shape of a long thin tube, and the process is called Injection Molding (Kaushish, 2010). The formed tube called parison is transferred into a second bottle-shaped mould. A thin steel rod, mandrel, is forced inside the parison to fill the parison with highly pressurized air to assume a bottle shape. The bottle bottom shape is achieved by introducing a separate component with the plastic simultaneously during the blowing moulding. The next and final step is cooling carbon (IV) oxide or water, and the container is ready for use.

Glass Container Manufacturing

Although some smallholder companies still use the traditional method of glass blowing, most industrial glass container production is always an automated process due to the intense heat and modelling techniques required in the production. Glass bottle manufacturing in a glass manufacturing industry takes place in multiple these entails the hot...