FOOD PACKAGING TECNOLOGY
Learning outcomes of the course unit
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the basic knowledge relating to packaging technologies and the facilities necessary to apply industrially.
Applying knowledge and understanding
The student will be able to design a packaging for food starting from the materials considered suitable for contact and defining the technologies and facilities required for the complete process of packaging. The student will be able to use the acquired knowledge to analyze and process numerical data to support their decision-making.
The student will be able to assess the impact of design decisions on the packaging of a primary, secondary or tertiary evaluate and know what actions to take in order to innovate the product as currently exists.
The student will acquire the vocabulary specific to the issues inherent in the packaging sector. It is expected that at the end of the course, the student is able to communicate, orally and in writing, including by resolution of numerical problems, the main contents of the course
Students who have attended the course will be able to deepen their knowledge in the field of suitability for contact with food, food packaging technologies, processes, secondary packaging and recycling processes through consultation autonomous specialized texts, journals or outreach, even outside of the topics covered closely in class.
Course contents summary
PERMEABILITY OF THE PACKAGING.
THE MIGRATION OF THE PACKAING
SUITABLE PACKAGING FOR FOODS.
FOOD SEMI-RIGID CONTAINERS
CODIFICATION OF PACKAGING AND PRINTING
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRIBUTION CONAI.
MODIFICATIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
PET RECYCLING PROCESS
PACKAGING PERMEABILITY. The mechanism of permeation. The parameters of measurement of permeability. Techniques for measuring gas permeability. Techniques of measurement of permeability to water vapor.
THE MIGRATION. The interaction phenomena. Mechanisms of migration. Prediction of migration.
SUITABLE PACKAGING FOR FOODS. Suitability for food packaging. Regulatory composition. Migration limits. Eligibility sense. Positive labeling.
CONTAINERS. Bottles and tubes of glass and plastic. EEC Bottles - Collectors measure. Production techniques. Accessories closing. The metal packaging. The metal boxes - types and signs manufacturing. Crimping of the cap (double seaming). Protective coatings. Deformable tubes. Aerosol containers. Kegs. The thin sheet of aluminum.
FLEXIBLE PACKAGING. Production techniques of the films. Finishing the film. Composite structures. Preparation techniques. Permeability of composite structures. Types of flexible packaging.
PRINTING AND ENCODING. Systems, principles and techniques of printing. Inks. The bar code and the "EAN"
LABELLING. The rules of D.L. 109. Nutrition labeling. The metrological standards. Control of the actual contents of the packaging.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRIBUTION CONAI. The premises. Definitions and terminology. The environmental contribution for each material.
PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY. Hot filling. Aseptic or pre-sterilization. Means of decontamination of materials and containers. Post-heat sterilization is not conventional microwave irradiation, with high pressure. Changes of atmosphere. Vacuum Conditioning and hypobaric. The modified atmosphere packaging / protective. Packing functional. Active packaging. Intelligent packaging.
RECYCLING OF PET
Description of the market of recycled PET. deployment of "Bottle to Packaging" and "Bottle to Bottle". differences between mechanical and chemical recycling. description of the 5 stages of mechanical recycling of PET with technological alternatives. Control issues of the suitability of the material.
Rizzo Roberto, Scienza e tecnologia delle acque minerali e delle bevande, vol4 Il packaging delle acque minerali e delle bevande, Chiriotti Editori, Pinerolo (TO), 2006;
Robertson L. Gordon, Food Packaging, Principle and Practice, II ed, Taylor&Francis, 2006;
Assessment methods and criteria
written exam + discussion on a specific project
The written exam will have 6 questions each of them witha value of 5 points.
The oral examination will be a discussion on a specific project. The oral examination can improve the results obtained in the written exam up to a maximum of 2 points.