Packaging is important for all products when shipping and storage. Crates and boxes for example offer good impact protection but offer limited atmospheric protection against moisture vapor, oxygen, UV light and more. Traditional Polyethylene packaging also offers poor climatic protection. In the food supply chain alone, is it estimated that 26% of food waste occurs during the post-harvest and distribution processes. But how can you be sure if your products will be protected during shipment and storage?
High barrier foil is a flexible packaging solution made up of 3-4 different layers. Barrier foil protects the integrity of many different products from:
- Moisture Vapor
- Oxygen Ingress
- UV Light
- Odors
- Temperature Extremes
Moisture Vapor
Polymer manufacturers know the dangers of moisture to their products very well. Certain materials are known to be hygroscopic, meaning they absorb ambient moisture. Thus causing potential degradation to the products as well as any end-users.
High barrier foils are composed of a multi-layered laminate that includes Aluminum, thus giving the lowest water vapor transmission rates of any known flexible material. Each layer of the laminate serves a vital purpose but the layer of Aluminum acts as a barrier to protect your products and prevent water vapor and other elements from entering.
Oxygen Ingress
Oxygen is something that of course we all know, but the dangers to products might be a little less known. In nuts or other high fatty acidic foods, oxygen breaks down the fatty acids altering the smell and taste, causing the foods to go rancid.
If what you’re shipping or storing can degrade from oxygen, these foils protect for both short and the long term. Our 55lb sacks are fitted with a degassing valve allowing for oxygen to escape, but not enter. Foil laminates also offer superior tear and puncture resistance and alllow you to pull a vacuum, or nitrogen flushing.
UV Light
UV light can damage more than just your skin. Certain nutrients spoil or have their chemical compositions destroyed due to photo-oxidative degradation. This process causes chemical changes in materials such as polymers and even food.
Photo-oxidative degradation in hops causes the breakdown of the important alpha and beta acids within the crop, leaving you with a bad-tasting beverage. Because high barrier foils are opaque, they offer your product protection from all types of damaging UV lights.
Odor
Scent is one of the most influential senses we have in our day-to-day lives. It triggers memories of the best times of our childhood or warn us if something is bad for us. Keeping the integrity of your product’s scent is incredibly important for many products such as foods and tobacco products. The aluminum content of High Barrier foil means smells cannot transfer in our out of the package.
Temperature
With the need for thermal packaging growing every year due to meal kits, pharmaceuticals and more, high barrier foil can give you a more cost-effective alternative to polystyrene.
Due to the layer of aluminum, these liners offer insulation from radiant heat because of the low emissivity level. Materials with shiny, smooth surfaces such as aluminum have a very low emissivity value, close to 0. Hence, these thermal liners are perfect for chilled pharmaceuticals, e-commerce food delivery boxes including cheese, meat, wine and gourmet meals. Because the process of finding the right thermal packaging can be difficult, we offer two different materials, including bubble foil and non-bubble foil that can be manufactured in multiple formats. We also work hand-in-hand with you during the trial process to make sure that you have the right packaging for your needs.
Protect Your Products Right
Dry and bulk materials are a huge part of our everyday lives. To make sure that they arrive at their end-users in optimal condition, you must make sure that you protect them during shipping and storage. High barrier foils will protect polymers and resins, food products, pharmaceuticals and much more if they are susceptible to any of the above problems. Call us today and start protecting your products with 3D Barrier Bags.