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Deficiencies of polypropylene in its use as a food‐packaging material — a review
Author(s) -
Boone J.,
Lox F.,
Pottie S.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.2770060508
Subject(s) - polypropylene , food packaging , product (mathematics) , plastic packaging , food industry , food products , taste , materials science , waste management , food science , forensic engineering , business , polymer science , composite material , engineering , chemistry , mathematics , geometry
The outstanding chemical and physical qualities of polypropylene (PP) combined with an attractive price have made it one of the protagonists in the food‐packaging industry. Like other polymers, however, PP tends to lose some of its constituents to the packed product, by migration, and when submitted to thermal, oxidative or radiation stresses PP starts to degrade. These processes are of concern when food is packed in the plastic, for they can cause PP to impart off‐odour and off‐taste to the packed product and in the worst case can give rise to toxicity of the food. This paper reviews the work that has been done on these processes and considers the recycling of PP for food‐packaging use.