PRODUCTION PACKAGING DISTRIBUTION CONSUMPTION Food packaging has a key role to play The complex single operation of placing food or a beverage in a container suitable for preserving and transporting it plays a key role in the cycle of preparation and distribution of any food THE ROLE OF PACKAGING

FUNCTIONS OF PACKAGING

DEFINITION OF SHELF LIFE The shelf life of a food product is the amount of time corresponding, under certain defined circumstances (packaging, transportation, storage conditions), to a tolerable decrease in the product's quality SL= shelf life F i = food variables P i = packaging variables E i = environmental variables SL=f (F i, P i, E i ) Food variables: microbial content, pH, a w (activity of water) FoodForm of deteriorationShelf life (days) Red meatProliferation of bacteria, changes in colour, rancidity 3-4 at 0-7°C White meatProliferation of bacteria, changes in colour, rancidity, off odour 2-7 at 0-7°C Fish productsProliferation of bacteria, rancidity, off odour 3-14 at 0-2 ℃

Packaging in a PROTECTIVE ATMOSPHERE (PA) In this packaging system, atmospheric gases are removed from the package and replaced by a predermined mix of gases specially designed to prolong the stability of the food product and therefore its shelf life But not all gas mixes are the same and they cannot be used indistinctly for one type of food or another; we must distinguish between: Foods that do not breathe Mix PAFoods that breatheMix PA Red meatOxygen (80-65%), nitrogen (0-10%), carbon dioxide (20- 25%) LettuceRelative humidity ( %), oxygen (1-5%) Snacks, biscuitsNitrogen (100%)BananaRelative humidity (90- 95%), oxygen (2-5%), carbon dioxide (2-5%)

It is estimated that by 2016 the A&IP or Active & Intelligent Packaging sector will be worth more than 12.5 billion euro world-wide, with a growth rate of 7.7% per year, reaching an impressive figure of 44 billion euro by These enthusiastic forecasts are the result of surveys conducted by AIPIA, the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association, established in 2012 in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, with 400 end user members FUNCTIONAL PACKAGING ACTIVE PACKAGINGINTELLIGENT PACKAGING Forms of packaging capable of interacting with the food or with the environment inside the package, releasing or absorbing substances to lengthen the product's shelf life Forms of packaging capable of controlling the condition of the food product contained or its environment