Monolithic Packaging Film for Cheese Shelf Life
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging solutions for surface or mould ripened cheese varieties face challenges in maintaining optimal gas and water vapor balance, leading to reduced shelf-life and quality due to issues like antimicrobial substance taste alteration, sachet damage, and complex production processes.
Innovation Solution
A packaging system utilizing a thermoplastic, monolithic film with specific water vapor transmission and oxygen permeability rates, allowing controlled breathing to maintain a desired mix of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, which can be used as a whole or part of the packaging system in various formats such as containers, bags, or trays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If polymeric films with low permeability to gases and vapors are used for packaging, then protection from oxidation and water loss is improved, but aerobic biologic activity increases due to water vapor accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous polymeric films with specific pore sizes (0.03-10 micrometers) that allow selective passage of water vapor while blocking larger microbial structures. The porous structure enables controlled breathing of the packaging, permitting water vapor egress to prevent condensation and aerobic biologic activity while maintaining protection against oxidation and water loss through the hydrophobic pore lining.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite polymeric film structures combining hydrophobic coatings or linings within the porous matrix. This composite approach creates a dual-function material: the porous structure provides vapor transmission pathways while the hydrophobic component repels water and inhibits microbial growth, simultaneously addressing both protection needs and biologic activity concerns.
2Reliability
If antimicrobial substances are added to food before packaging, then shelf-life is extended, but taste and appearance are altered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the antimicrobial function from the food product itself and relocates it to the packaging film. The polymeric film incorporates antimicrobial agents or structures that actively inhibit microbial growth on the food surface without requiring addition of substances to the food, thereby extending shelf-life while preserving taste and appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging film acts as an intermediary between the external environment and the food product. It provides antimicrobial protection through the film structure or incorporated agents, preventing microbial contamination without direct contact between antimicrobial substances and the food, thus avoiding taste and appearance alterations.
3Reliability
If separate sachets with humectant material are included in packaging, then shelf-life is extended, but device complexity and handling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the humectant function into the packaging film itself through hydrophobic coatings or hydrophilic-balanced porous structures. The film maintains appropriate humidity levels directly through its material properties, eliminating the need for separate sachets and simplifying the packaging structure while still extending shelf-life by preventing excessive drying or condensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging film performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical protection, controls gas and vapor transmission, regulates humidity through its porous-hydrophobic structure, and prevents microbial growth. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components like humectant sachets, reducing complexity while maintaining shelf-life extension.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution extends the shelf-life and improves the quality of surface or mould ripened cheese by preventing early deterioration, maintaining physical, microbiological, and chemical properties for an extended period without altering the taste or requiring complex handling processes.
Implementation Method 1
a packaging material comprising or consisting of a thermoplastic, monolithic film and having a water vapor transmission rate of at least 10 g/m2
Implementation Method 2
capable of breathing at a rate that maintains a desired mix of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor inside the packaging system
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to packaging material and its use in the shelf-life extension and quality improvement of products.