title: Food-packaging interactions influencing quality and safety.
abstract: Interactions between foods and packaging can be detrimental to quality and/or safety. Changes in product flavour due to aroma sorption and the transfer of undesirable flavours from packaging to foods are important mechanisms of deterioration when foods are packaged in polymer-based materials. Careful consideration must be given to those factors affecting such interactions when selecting packaging materials in order to maximize product quality, safety, and shelf-life while minimizing undesirable changes. Product considerations include sensitivity to flavour and related deteriorations, colour changes, vitamin loss, microbial activity, and amount of flavour available. Storage considerations include temperature, time, and processing method. Polymer considerations include type of polymer and processing method, volume or mass of polymer to product ratio, and whether the interaction is Fickian or non-Fickian. Methodology to determine the extent of such interactions must be developed. Direct interactions between food and packaging are not necessarily detrimental. The same principles governing undesirable interactions can be used to affect desirable outcomes. Examples include films which directly intercept or absorb oxygen, inhibit microorganisms, remove undesirable flavours by sorption, or indicate safety and product shelf-life.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Science, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hotchkiss
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004058:Diffusion; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000592:standards*; D011108:Polymers; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D011108:Polymers