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Influence of ultra‐high pressure sterilization on the structure of polymer films
Author(s) -
Fairclough J. P. A.,
Conti M.
Publication year - 2009
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.858
Subject(s) - polymer , polypropylene , solubility , materials science , sterilization (economics) , layer (electronics) , nitrogen , composite material , oxygen , chemical engineering , air layer , polymer chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering , monetary economics , economics , foreign exchange market , foreign exchange
The effect of ultra‐high‐pressure processing on the structure of polymer film pouches, commonly used in food packaging, has been studied. In particular, the effect of an air headspace on the polypropylene heat‐sealing inner layer is reported. With increasing pressure, both nitrogen and oxygen gases become increasingly soluble in the polymer layer. If the pressure is rapidly released, this causes voids and pits to form in the inner layer. An estimate of the increased solubility (70‐fold) is calculated from regular solution theory. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.