Soluble label promises to improve food quality
inside has been exposed to damaging conditions is currently being
developed.
According to packaging consultancy Pira, the unnamed UK-based electronics company behind the scheme is set to make a decision on whether to roll out the completely soluble ink and label system by the end of the year. As a result, the technology could be commercialised by the first quarter of 2005.
The label can be adjusted to react to unsuitable conditions where the humidity or moisture levels are too high and are likely to damage the product.
Manufacturers are increasingly turning to packaging as a means of differentiating their products and consolidating consumer trust. This new development, which targets the label, is the latest in a series of innovations that push the concept that packaging can communicate to end-users.
Indeed, market analyst BCC believes that such packaging concepts are vital to the future of food production. The analysts identify a trend towards conveniently packaged foods, fast-preparing or already prepared, with less chemical additives that still possess a long shelf life. The new label concept is being developed to target this growth market.
The soluble label also doubles as a security seal and once removed from a package cannot be replaced in its original form. The labels are designed to break down in either cold or hot water and can be triggered within 10°C to 40°C, according to the customer's requirements.
OPM Group, which supplies the water-based ink printing system, and Aquasol, which supplies the adhesive soluble label, have partnered to market the technology and are in the early stages of getting the technology commercialised in a range of industries.
Other recent innovations along this line include the development of a unique measuring device capable of measuring how much aroma is penetrating a material. This has been developed at Iggesund Paperboard's laboratory for sensory and chemical analyses in Strömsbruk, Sweden.
In addition, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is currently improving its innovative inkjet printable indicator, which contains a reactive substance that signals if oxygen is present in a package. The sensor can be printed onto plastic materials to identify package leakage and indicates the presence of oxygen in perishable foods that have been packaged in a modified atmosphere.
