The multilayer polypropylene (PP) pack is being marketed as a low cost alternative to glass for storing sensitive products like ready meals or paté.
RPC claims the new pack can extend the shelf life of a food product to between 12 and 24 months – depending on the food and the preservation technique used. Sterilisation, pasteurisation and heat sealing are all compatible with the new packaging.
Unusual combination
Matthias Hammersen, food sales manager at RPC Bramlage, said the product – launched at Interpack in Dusseldorf this month - is unusual.
“You see barrier technology for thermoforming but it is not common in injection moulding,” Hammersen told FoodProductionDaily.com.
The new technology is achieved by simultaneous injection of skin and core layers creating pack walls with an EVOH barrier layer surrounded by PP measuring 0.4mm in thickness.
Hammersen said combining barrier and injection moulding technology in this way gives food manufacturers all the benefits of injection moulding in a pack designed for a long shelf life.
He said there is significant flexibility in terms of the different shapes possible and the decorative possibilities. Using in-mould labelling (IML), RPC claims “colourful and eye-catching designs” can be created.