To
pack temptation
Gautam
Bhattacharya delves into the constraints that need to be addressed while
packaging chocolates and elaborates on the various options available
Chocolates
are undoubtedy a treat that everyone savours. What is equally important
is how they are packaged. These are mostly produced by processing butter,
milk solids and cocoa. Most of the chocolates that are commonly available
are solid – these are a little hard on the surface and are soft
inside. Some of the hazards faced by chocolates include:
• ‘Sugar Bloom’ – the generation of a coating of
powdery sugar syrup on the surface
• Loss of moisture by evaporation/permeation
• Permeation of other odours and flavours
• Physical breakage of the chocolate
• Tainting of the surface of the chocolate
• Surface damage like a loss of gloss
• Condensation – in high humidity or because of abrupt temperature
changes
• In some cases, the chocolate starts melting even at a low temperature.
As a result, the packaging of chocolates poses a number of challenges
and problems. The considerations that should be kept in mind while selecting
packing materials are:
Moisture
The retention or loss of moisture plays a very critical
role in retaining the desired shelf life for chocolates, which normally
spans from 90- 180 days. Solid chocolates normally have an
Equilibrium
Relative Humidity (ERH) of 75-85 per cent and as
a result are less susceptible to the loss of water content. Milk chocolates
usually have an ERH in the lower end of the above range, and non-milk
chocolates on the higher end, especially those with nuts. However, as
the requirement of the package is to ensure longer shelf life, it needs
to take care of water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) especially towards
the end of the specified shelf life of the chocolate. It thus becomes
one of the most critical parameters while selecting the packaging material.
Another important consideration is the ability of the material to withstand
folding and crumpling, as twistwrap is one of the widely used packaging
option for chocolates.
Gas transmission rate
Ensuring the retention of the flavour and odour
of chocolates, during transport and storage, is an important consideration
while selecting the packaging material. All polyolefines are known to
have higher permeability in this regard, as compared to cellulose-based
packaging materials.
Tear strength
The packaging materials for chocolates should be
easy to tear. Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) ensures easy tear
propagation and tearability.
Heat seal strength
Ensuring an effective seal is a very important requirement
as it determines the exposure of the product to the environment. The
level or extent of fat-seepage, the ingress of moisture or the loss
of it, and that of vapour and gases are quite often determined by a
good heat seal or the absence of it.
Tensile strength
High tensile strength is an essential ...
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