Plastic packaging material
AssigneesStepac L.A., The Sterilizing Packaging Company of L.A., Ltd., State of Israel, Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Organization
InventorsMoira Marx Nir, Angel Machado, Nehemia Aharoni
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of preserving produce by providing a plastic packaging material having a thickness of up to about 500 microns and a permeability to water vapor exceeding about 1.5 g mm m−2 per day at 38° C. and 85-90% relative humidity, whereby when the material is used to package produce, no condensation or minimal condensation appears on a surface of the material. Related methods and products produced thereby are also described and claimed.
Claims23
A packaged produce product including a plastic packaging material having a permeability to water vapor exceeding about 1.5 g mm m−2 per day at 38°C. and 85-90% relative humidity and that allows the packaged produce product to be contained in an atmosphere which comprises approximately 4-20% O2, 0.5%-17% CO2 and has a relative humidity of 85-100%, said plastic packaging material being perforated to an extent at least partially determined by at least one of the following:
- the temperature and storage time that the produce is expected to encounter;
- a desired level of CO2 for optimal preservation of the produce;
- the respiration activity of the produce at said temperature;
- and
- the weight of the produce,
- whereby no condensation or minimal condensation appears on a surface of the material.
A method of preserving produce comprising:
- providing an unperforated plastic packaging material having a thickness of up to about 500 microns and a permeability to water vapor exceeding about 1.5 g mm m−2 per day at 38° C. and 85-90% relative humidity;
- perforating the material to an extent at least partially determined by least the optimal CO2 atmosphere for preserving the produce;
- and
- at least partially enclosing the produce using the plastic packaging material, thereby to provide an environment for the produce which comprises approximately 4-20% O2, 0.5%-17% CO2, and has a relative humidity of 85-100%.
A method for producing optimized packaging materials for packaging produce in an environment which is optimized in terms of carbon dioxide content and water condensation, the method including the steps of:
- determining sensitivity of said produce to the presence of water condensation;
- providing a plurality of unperforated package precursor materials having differing water vapor permeabilities, said materials having a permeability to water vapor exceeding about 1.5 g/mm m−2 per day at 38° C. and 85-90% relative humidity;
- selecting a package precursor material having a suitable water vapor permeability for a produce type to be packaged;
- and
- determining favorable carbon dioxide concentrations for said produce,
- perforating a package material selected in the selecting step to an extent at least partially determined by at least an optimal carbon dioxide concentration for said produce, to produce an optimized packaging material, which when used to at least partially enclose the produce provides an environment for the produce which comprises approximately 4-20% O2, 0.5%-17% CO2, and has a relative humidity of 85-100%.
A method of preserving produce comprising:
- providing an unperforated plastic packaging material having a thickness of up to about 500 microns and a permeability to water vapor exceeding about 1.5 g mm m−2 per day at 38° C. and 85-90% relative humidity;
- perforating the material to an extent at least partially determined by at least one of the following:
- the temperature and storage time that the produce is expected to encounter;
- a desired level of CO2 for optimal preservation of the produce;
- the respiration activity of the produce at said temperature;
- and
- the weight of the produce;
- and
- at least partially enclosing the produce using the plastic packaging material, thereby to provide an environment for the produce which comprises approximately 4-20% O2, 0.5%-17% CO2, and has a relative humidity of 85-100%.
A method of preserving pre-packaged produce comprising:
- providing an unperforated plastic packaging material having a thickness of up to about 500 microns and a permeability to water vapor exceeding about 1.5 g mm m−2 per day at 38° C. and 85-90% relative humidity;
- perforating the material to an extent at least partially determined at least by the optimal CO2 atmosphere for preserving the produce;
- and
- at least partially enclosing pre-pack aged produce using the plastic packaging material, thereby to provide an environment for the produce which comprises approximately 4-20% O2, 0.5%-17% CO2, and has a relative humidity of 85-100%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.