Example of use of Ciba® SHELFPLUS® O2 in trays for retorted ready meal

An area of increased activity in the packaging arena is in the use of rigid polypropylene containers in the packaging of retort-processed food. Such containers are finding use in the packaging of soups, home meal replacements and pet foods and often use EVOH as the oxygen barrier layer in these multi-layer packages However, the high temperature and moisture conditions found during the retort process saturate the EVOH leading to a drop in its barrier properties for a period of time after processing. It was found that low level of the oxygen absorber Ciba® SHELFPLUS® O2 can be used to compensate for the loss of EVOH barrier properties after retort.

When looking at the characteristics of the scavenger system and EVOH when subjected to the retort process, there seems to be a very natural synergy between these two products.Namely, the scavenger is at its most active state when EVOH is at its weakest.

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The use of a combination of Ciba^® SHELFPLUS^® O2 and the EVOH passive barrier in PP barrier container for retort application, such as in the case of the ready meal tray from Sonnen Basserman, is a good example of how the barrier performances can be improved to better protect the foodstuff, as shown on the graph below

Measurements of barrier performance of a package containing an EVOH layer combined with SHELFPLUS^®02.

Barrier behaviour after retort
100% O2, 65% RH out - 100% RH in

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