Source: China Economic Network
"Beer drink mineral water, peanut melon seeds eight treasure porridge, come, leg let one let …" This is the memory left by the green-skinned train in the nineties, and at the same time witnessed the development of drinks and beverage packaging in a period. With the development of the economy, beverage varieties and beverage packaging show a diversified trend. So, what are the secrets of all kinds of beverage packaging materials?
Beverage packaging is divided according to the materials used, mainly including polyester bottles (PET), metal, paper-plastic composite materials, glass four kinds of materials, becoming the "four major families" in the beverage packaging market. Data show that PET packaging accounts for 67% of the beverage market share, far more than all other materials; although glass only accounts for 7% of the market share, demand is rising.
One of the "four families": the ancient packaging material – glass
Glass is the oldest of the "Four Families" and the oldest packaging material used. In the 1980s and 1990s, soda, beer, and champagne were all bottled in glass bottles, and even now, glass still plays a pivotal role in the packaging world.
The glass container is non-toxic and tasteless, and it looks transparent, which can make people see the contents at a glance and give people a beautiful feeling. Moreover, it has good barrier, is not breathable, is not afraid of heat or high pressure, and has thousands of advantages in one, so it is used by many food commercials to pack drinks. Common ones are beer, soft drinks, juices, etc.
But glass packaging containers also have some disadvantages. The main problem is that it is self-important, and it is brittle and easy to break. Coupled with the inconvenience of printing new patterns, icons and other secondary processing, the current amount of use has become less and less.
The second of the "four families": listening to the can – metal
In the 1980s, metal packaging began to take the stage. Metal cans are divided into two-piece cans and three-piece cans. The material used in the three-piece can is mostly tin-plated thin steel plate (tinplate), and the material of the two-piece can is mostly aluminum alloy plate. Because the aluminum can has better sealing and ductility, and is also suitable for low temperature filling, it is more suitable for drinks that will produce gas, such as carbonated drinks, beer, etc. However, herbal tea drinks, such as Wang Laoji, Chun He Tang, Deng Lao herbal tea, etc., are packaged in tinplate cans, which has a more thick feeling.
Metal cans have many advantages. It is not easy to break, easy to carry, not afraid of high temperature, high pressure and air humidity changes, not afraid of erosion. The surface of the metal can is well decorated, which is convenient for drawing various patterns and colors. Metal cans are easy to recycle.
However, metal packaging containers also have its shortcomings, on the one hand, its chemical stability is poor, the acidity is too high or the alkalinity is too strong will slowly make the metal corrosive. On the other hand, if the inner paint of the metal packaging is of poor quality or the process is not good, it will make the beverage taste bad.
The third of the "four families": the favorite of dairy products – carton packaging
Early paper packaging generally uses high-strength base paperboard. However, pure paper packaging materials are difficult to use in beverages, and the paper packaging used now is almost all paper composites.
The polyethylene (PE) film or aluminum foil in the composite paper material can avoid light and air, and will not affect the taste, so it is more suitable for short-term fresh milk, yogurt and long-term fresh dairy drinks, tea drinks and fruit juices. The shapes include sterile pillows, sterile square bricks, etc.
However, the pressure resistance and sealing barrier of paper-plastic composite containers are not as good as glass bottles, metal cans and plastic containers, and cannot be heated and sterilized, so the pre-formed carton will reduce its heat sealing performance due to the oxidation of PE film during the preservation process, or become uneven due to creases and other reasons, resulting in the problem of difficult feeding of filling and molding machines.
The fourth of the "four major families": everywhere – plastic packaging
Plastic packaging is very common in the beverage industry, and beverages such as soda, juice, vegetable juice, and herbal tea have plastic packaging products. There are several types of markings on the bottom of plastic bottles or on the sides near the bottom (triangle symbols are written with numbers), which is an internationally accepted plastic classification.
Plastic PET No. 1
Pet, whose full name is polyethylene terephthalate, is an extremely commonly used resin material that belongs to Category 1 in the plastic classification label. The plastic bottles of mineral water, juices, and carbonated drinks that we usually drink are made from it. Data show that PET packaging accounts for 67% of the beverage market share.
No. 2 High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), No. 4 Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
Both are polymers made from the polymerization of ethylene as a monomer. PE is the most productive variety of general synthetic resins, and according to the different forms of polymerization, it mainly includes LDPE and HDPE. The heat resistance of these two materials is not good, and it is easy to melt and deform when heated. So, do not use at high temperatures.
No. 5 polypropylene (PP)
Food grade PP has good heat resistance, microwave heating lunch box is used PP, many takeaway, milk tea is also used.
Other models
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) No. 3 is a polymer material made of vinyl chloride monomer polymerization. The most common PVC products in daily life are plastic pipes; No. 6 is polystyrene (PS); the bottled water for water dispensers uses No. 7 polycarbonate (PC), but the No. 7 logo also refers to several other plastics. (Source of this article: China Economic Network Author: Ruan Guangfeng, Food and Health Information Exchange Center of Kexin)