The Italy-based company said the film is part of its Second Generation Mater-Bi eco-friendly line that contains vegetable oil-based constituents. The clingfilm can be used for any kind of foodstuffs, even those with a high fat or acid content, Novamont business development director Stefano Facco told FoodProductionDaily.com.
He confirmed the product, launched today at the K 2010 trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, was initially being targeted at the private use market but that an industrial material for food processors and packagers was likely to be available within 18 months.
“We are already in contact with machine producers and are working on developing something initially for the meat industry,” he added. “Our tests have shown the film produces excellent results when used in meat packaging in terms of its barrier properties in limiting oxidation and preserving the red colour of products.”
The company was developing a product that would be suitable for use with most machine systems currently on the market.
Properties
The material can be disposed of as organic waste as it has been certified as compostable in accordance with standard EN13432. It is also compatible with various kinds of composting plant technology, he added.
The product was developed without using any plasticisers or additives that could transfer into food, and that it has the same technical characteristics of strength and stretch as traditional products developed for domestic use, said the firm.
“Using PVC as the benchmark, our new film comes very close in terms of mechanical properties such as strength and stretch, and is better than PE materials” said Facco.
Product characteristics such as its high permeability to water vapour, excellent water vapour transmission rate (WVTR), as well as its extremely high puncture resistance and elongation values make it highly suitable as a clingfilm. It also has similar optical and transparency characteristics as traditional films, said Novamont.
The clingfilm also demonstrates balanced mechanical properties at very low gauge of 10 to 12 µ, said the business development director.