Active packaging solutions for wine on bag-in-box
AlbisPlastic and jura-plast have joined forces to develop three-layer LDPE and PP films with oxygen-absorbing properties.
As Jürgen Müller, Managing Director at jura-plast, explains:
– Excellent dispersion of the iron-based absorber makes it possible for us to go into layers just 20µm thick.
An PE- or PP-based film of this type with an A/B/A structure has a total thickness of only 40µm. Other layer thicknesses are possible as well, however, and the films are also available with an A/B/C structure.
– We are pleased to have found a technically savvy and flexible development partner in jura-plast, says Roland M. Schultz, Marketing Packaging Director at AlbisPlastic.
– The A/B/A Shelfplus O2 film enables bag, standup-pouch and lid-film manufacturers to realize active-packaging projects easily, even without their own extrusion operations.
The trend towards more natural foods with fewer preservatives, additives and dyes means increasing oxygen sensitivity, which is another reason to use oxygen absorbers. Even small seal defects of up to 10µm, so-called "pinholes", can be compensated over a longer period of time by using Shelfplus.
At the moment, Albis and jura-plast are working with German and French wine fillers to test Shelfplus films as inner bags for bag-in-box wine packaging. The goal is to increase shelf life while also reducing sulfur content. The initial test phase has already shown signs of success.
The test bags significantly reduce wine oxygen content compared to standard bags. They also measurably reduce consumption of so-called free sulfurous acids, which clearly underscores Shelfplus' absorbing qualities. The conditions are thus in place for increased wine shelf life even with less added sulfur. This development is particularly interesting for fillers of organic wines, which by nature are filled with less sulfur. European Wine Regulations EG 1493/1999 and EG606/2009 regulate limitations on added sulfurous acid.
The O2 absorber is also currently being tested with other film applications. A five-layer composite film has been equipped with Shelfplus O2 for use in tubes for the cosmetic industry. A Fraunhofer IVV study in this regard demonstrated an absence of oxygen forty-three days after filling.
Several variants of state-of-the-art Shelfplus sealing and laminating pouches are available starting immediately, and can be obtained directly from jura-plast.