Packaging Industry Case Studies
Food Packaging Leaching
A frozen food manufacturer came to Chemir to determine if their “in-the-bag-cooking” packaging was contaminating the food during microwave cooking. Our expert scientists first analyzed the packaging and then the microwave food samples. Two components from the packaging were found to migrate into the food tested. One served as a flame retardant and the second as a plasticizer. We then helped the client find a new packaging source that did not exhibit leaching, allowing them to resume production.
Multi-layered Analysis
Pouches of a personal care product were bursting open in their packing cases. The manufacturer contacted Chemir to investigate why the pouches were degrading. The challenge was to examine the multi-layer packaging and determine if the degradation was originating from the pouch contents or a result of outside conditions, specifically contamination from the packaging cases. Chemir scientists froze samples of the failed packaging layers, shattered the material, then isolated and analyzed the layers by GC, GC/MS, FTIR and SEM/EDXA. We were able to determine that the degradation was a result of contamination from the product contents, and adjustments were made to prevent further packaging failures.
Labels Changing Colors
A label manufacturer sent cases of labels to a beverage bottler in good condition. Following weeks of storage, the bottler complained that the label’s colors had significantly changed. The label manufacturer sent samples to Chemir for investigation. We suspected the problem was due to the adhesive on the back of the labels, and performed UV testing on both “good” and “bad” samples. We were able to determine that there was not enough UV stabilizer in the adhesive, resulting in discoloration over time. The label manufacturer was able to change the adhesive formula and prevent future failures.