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CLOSE THIS BOOKAppropriate Food Packaging (Tool)
VIEW THE DOCUMENT(introduction...)
VIEW THE DOCUMENTPreface
VIEW THE DOCUMENTAcknowledgements
1 Food and packaging
2 Types of food and prevention of deterioration
3 Packaging materials
4 Filling and labelling
5 Production, re-use and re-cycling of packaging
6 Implications of introducing packaging
7 Benefits and costs of food packaging
VIEW THE DOCUMENTGlossary
Resources

Glossary

Acid preserves: foods that have a high acid content to stop spoilage.

Adulteration: deliberate contamination of foods with materials of low quality or value.

Average-weight system: a known percentage of all filled packs must have a fill weight above that shown on the package.

Barrier properties: resistance of a packaging material to moisture, air, light, micro-organisms or physical damage.

Biodegradable: a material that breaks down under the natural action of micro-organisms, light, air and water.

Bulk density: volume per unit weight of a material.

Capital costs: the money spent on buildings, equipment and other long lasting items for production.

Consumer packs: the package that customers buy their food in .

Contamination: materials such as leaves, dirt, wood, glass, etc., accidentally included with a food.

Critical faults: those faults that would injure a customer or cause significant financial loss to a producer.

Enzymes: natural complex chemicals in foods that can cause changes to flavour, color or texture of a food.

Exhausting: removing the air from the headspace of a can or jar and replacing it with steam.

Feasibility study: a study of the technical factors, the economic factors and the marketing factors that affect a business.

Fermented preserves: foods that have an increased acid content which is produced by safe micro-organisms.

Fill weight: the weight of food placed in a package (also net weight on a package).

Flexible packaging: plastic, papers, foil, cloth and other materials that are made into bags, wraps and sacks.

Form-fill-seal equipment: machines that make up a bag then fill it with food and heat seal it.

Hazards: influences such as heat, crushing, microorganisms that can damage a food.

Headspace: the gap between the top of a food in a can or jar and the lid.

Heat seal: two layers of plastic film melted together.

Hermetic seal: an airtight, moistureproof and microorganism resistant seal.

Humidity: the amount of water vapour in air.

Impermeable: proverbs the passage of (e.g. a film is impermeable to air if it prevents the air from passing to the food).

Inert: does not react with anything.

Lacquer: a type of varnish on the inside of a can.

Laminates: packaging made from two or more materials glued together.

Low-acid: foods that have a low acid content and can contain food poisoning bacteria

Major faults: those faults that would cause a financial loss to a producer.

Market survey: a study of the demand for a food, including who buys it, where it is sold, how much is bought and how often.

Metailized films: plastic films coated with a very thin layer of aluminium metal.

Micro-organisms: very small creatures (invisible until they group together) which includes yeasts, bacteria and moulds.

Minimum-weight system: all filled packages must have a fill weight above that shown on the package.

Minor faults: those faults that affect the appearance of a pack but do not stop it being used.

Moulded paper packaging: trays and dishes made from dried paper pulp.

Net weight: the amount of food filled into a package.

Nomogram: a drawing which can be used instead of a calculation.

Operating costs -fixed: those costs that do not change when the amount of production changes.

Operating costs - variable: those costs that increase or decrease as the level of productions increases or decreases.

Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) the amount of water that passes through a known area of packaging material in a 24-hour period.

Paperboard: general name for different types of package made from wood pulp.

Pectin: a natural gelling material found in some fruits.

Physical damage (or mechanical damage): crushing, splitting, cracking, squashing, rubbing.

Rancidity: development of off-flavours in fatty foods.

Shelf-life: the time of storage of a processed food before changes in flavour, color or number of micro-organisms make it unacceptable.

Shipping container: box or bag that protects foods or other smaller containers during transport and distribution.

Shrinkwrapping: polythene film that is shrunk tightly around packages by hot air.

Sodium metabisulphate: a chemical preservative or disinfectant.

Sterile: in strict sence means no micro-organisms present. In food processing usually means the risk of micro-organisms being present is low.

Stretchwrapping: special polythene film that sticks to itself but not to other packs or foods. It is used to wrap other packages tightly.

Sugar preserves: foods that have a high sugar content to stop spoilage.

Tamperproof: a pack that stops people opening it and reclosing it before it is sold (also a pack that shows evidence of being opened).

Thermoplastic: plastic that melts when heated and solidifies again on cooking.

Vacuum packaging: removing most of the air from a bag and then sealing it.

Water Vapour Transmission Rate (WVTR): the amount of water that passes through a known area of packaging material in a 24 hour period.

Working capital the amount of money needed to buy raw materials, packaging, etc., before income is received from production.

Yield: the area of a film or paper that weighs 1 kg.

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