Food Tasting Bad?..May Be It Is The Packaging

Hi all. I am back with more stuff on masterbatches, the coloring and special function imparting agents in plastics. Thanks for the encouragement and comments, they are really justifying my efforts, which honestly I thought had gone down the drain.

In my last two posts I talked about the types of masterbatches and  the points to consider while manufacturing them. Now I will discuss the role of colorants and additives in food & beverage packaging.

Plastic packaging is boon for food and beverage industry. Not only does it keep the contents fresh for long but also attractive packaging makes them irresistible for the consumers. But is the packaging really beneficial to the consumers? No point arguing that the plastic packaged content is usable for long (let’s not go to the pros and cons of that) but plastic, especially colored plastic does something to the food and all, doesn’t it?

Plastic packaging can alter the taste and odor. More often than not it is subtle, but sometimes the change can be major and irritating. Take a neutral product like bottled water; it is really susceptible to organoleptic influences.

Given the resources that go in creating compelling products, the last thing manufacturer need is to have a plastic package skew the taste and odor of their offerings.

From the knowledge gleaned from interaction with RP Industries functionaries (the guys I approached to research for my doomed school magazine article) I can safely say that understanding the interaction between resins, colorants, and functional additives and product taste and odor is essential to being able to limit the organoleptic interaction between the plastic package and its contents. It is especially necessary for UV Masterbatch suppliers and others involved in compound formulation.

The best approach is to choose an “organoleptic-friendly” colorant and avoid the use of functional additives. Moreover colorants require careful selection because of their certain chemical composition which might be more problematic than others when it comes to taste and odor. Many masterbatch manufacturers avoid or at the very least put strict limits on compounds that contain either chlorine or sulfur due to their potential to cause sensory issues.

Several other factors can effect the organoleptic integrity of a package such as the choice of carrier resins used in masterbatches. These should be neat resins that are free of low-molecular-weight components.

Amazing, isn’t it! Just a little (to be frank hell lot of it!) research and we know why our plastic packaged food tastes bad. Now it is up to the plastic manufacturers and the masterbatch suppliers to ensure that plastic packaging just alter the looks of a product not its taste.

Factors Affecting Formulation of Masterbatches

Hi friends. I hope you rememberme. Last time I wrote about plastic industry and masterbatches. This time I am going to throw some light on formation of masterbatches.

Frankly, unless you see for yourself the  manufacturing process of masterbatches, it is hard to imagine just how much of technology and hard work goes into getting the formulations right. We, most often don’t give a second thought to the packaging, marveling at the most at the attractive colors and designs that make give the product a hard-to-resist “pick-me-up-please” kind of look.

It took me a visit to RP industries a Delhi based masterbatch manufacturers & exporters, to open my eyes wide to the various factors affecting different aspects of formulation. A gist of whatever I learnt over there is here for you:

Formulations vary depending on whether a supplier is designing a new masterbatch or copying someone else’s. It is considered best to be involved at the color conception stage where it’s possible to optimize formulation choice. Their difference also depends upon whether they are manually designed or computer generated.

Depending on the formulations, the cost of masterbatches also differs. Sometimes formulations over specify performance, and thus become more expensive. Contrarily, they can generate borderline performance to minimize cost. Buying power, production costs and general operating costs, formulations, opacity and pigment loadings are other factors affecting the cost of masterbatches.

There are many factors which influence the performance of masterbatches such as processor machine type its size, capacity, screw-type. Some suppliers prefer to use extenders and some don’t. The ability of a color masterbatches to mix into the polymer varies depending upon its viscosity and flow.

Bulk density and specific gravity variations can occur if distinct base ingredients are used. This can cause further difference in the end result if gravimetric or volumetric dosers are used at the processor.

I was also made aware of the importance of asking customers before formulating about the specification, application and commercial parameters in order to craft a tailor-made masterbatch.

This is pretty much all I could understand, rest was some very technical blah blah. Hope, you guys can explain the procedures further in simpler language, so that novices like me can understand the whole process better.

 

Additive Masterbatches..The Color in Plastics

Hi all. I am an Indian student studying in 12^th standard in a New Delhi based school. I am also the editor of our school magazine. Last month I was writing for the article based on plastic industry. The focus of the article was on the environmental impact of the plastic.

During research for that article I got intrigued by the coloration process of the plastic. I then decided to give a new dimension to my article, about the coloration process and technologies involved. It made sense because harmful or not we can’t wish away the plastic from our lives, it is so damn useful, but we can make ourselves aware of the basics of manufacturing process so as to make use of the plastics more carefully.

With this objective in mind I decided to approach my principal with request to visit a manufacturer of international repute which can give me an idea of best practices in the industry. We decided upon visiting RPindustries R.P Industries the manufacturer and exporter of the additive masterbatches, the basic ingredient to color raw polymer economically during the plastics manufacturing process for all kinds of polymers.

Due to space crunch we could not squeeze the article in our magazine, but it would have been a terrible waste not to do anything with the research. Therefore through this series of postings I would like to make my work see the light of the day, and may be help some of you curious souls understand the plastic especially colored one.

Let’s start with description of masterbatch and its types.

Masterbatches are used to add colors and impart special properties to plastic products. Cost of masterbatch is hardly 1-2%in final plastic product but its quality is very important for durability and functional properties of the product. A Masterbatch contains polymers, additives and colorants specifically formulated together to provide either a general or specific function.

Master batch products are divided into two major types.

• The pigment master batch to color the plastic.
• The functional additive master batches make the plastic capable of certain performances like making them heat resistant, weather resistant etc. Some of the functional master batches are UV light stabilizers, antifog agents, antiblock agents, antistatic agents, etc.Interesting? Well read my next postings for more information on masterbatches, coloration process and UV Masterbatch.