Food Packaging

General

• Code: 276-190702
• Semester: 7th
• Study Level: Undergraduate
• Course type: Specialization
• Teaching and exams language: Greek (English for Erasmus students)
• The course is offered to Erasmus students
• Teaching Methods (Hours/Week): Lectures (2) / Laboratory Excercises (2)
• ECTS Units: 5
• Course homepage: https://exams-geo.the.ihu.gr/course/view.php?id=175
• Instructors: Rafailides Stylianos, Papageorgiou Maria, Karageorgiou Vassilis, Goulas Athanasios

Course Contents

Food packaging course content

• Metal containers made of tinplate, aluminum plate, chromium plate. Production technology and uses in food packaging.
• Coatings of metal containers. Varnishes-lacquers. Types and production technology.
• Corrosion of metal containers. Mechanisms of detinning-corrosion of tinplate containers. Depolarizers and corrosion inhibitors of packaged foods. Chemical interactions with packaged foods.
• Glass containers. Production technology and uses in food packaging. Chemical interactions with the packaged foods.
• Packaging materials from paper. Production technology and uses in food packaging. Chemical interactions with packaged foods.
• Packaging materials from synthetic polymers. Production technology and uses in food packaging.
• Chemical and physical properties of polyolefins, chloro- fluoro- and phenyl derivatives of polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonic, polyurethanes, epoxy resins etc. Effect of structure of polymers on their mechanical properties. Glass transition state and crystalline state. Plasticizers.
• Permeability mechanisms of gases and vapors through plastic films.
• Interaction of food components with the polymeric material of their packaging. Migration phenomena, sorption phenomena, interactions of food components and package components. Analytical methods of traceability and determination of migrating substances.
• Shelf life of packaged foods. Factors affecting shelf life (temperature, sorption, water activity, pressure etc). Methods of determination for various packaged foods.

Titles of Laboratory Exercises

• Checking the double seam duringthe closing of metal containers.
• Examination of tinplate sheets used for the manufacturing of metal containers.
• Corrosion of metal containers.
• Study of the mechanical properties of paper containers.
• Permeability and other properties of synthetic polymeric containers.
• Study of the thermal behavior of porous and non-porous synthetic polymeric containers.
• Study of the mechanical properties of polymeric containers.
• Study of certain properties of glass containers.
• Visit to a packaging materials production industry.

Educational Goals

The course aims to achieve the following learning outcomes for students:

• Acquiring knowledge about the various packaging materials used for food packaging by the Food Industry.
• Understanding the mechanisms that govern the behavior of packaging materials in various food processing and storage enviroments.
• Understanding the interaction mechanisms.between packaging materials and food.
• Understanding the effect of packaging materials on food safety.
• Acquiring experience in applying the above knowledge through laboratory exercises using appropriate equipment and instruments at a specialized packaging materials control and testing laboratory.

General Skills

• Searching,analyzing and synthesizing data and informationusing appropriate technologies.
• Adjustment in new situations.
• Decision making.
• Autonomous work.
• Teamwork.
• Work in an international context.
• Respecting natural environment.
• Promotion of analytical, productive and inductive thinking.

Teaching Methods

Face to face:

• Lectures (theory) in the classroom.
• Laboratory exercises in groups in a packaging materials control laboratory.

Use of ICT means

• Lectures with PowerPoint slides using PC and projector.
• Notes in electronic format.
• Posting course material and communicating with students on the Moodle online platform.
• Use of electronic devices for retrieving and recording experimental data (data logging) in the laboratory.

Teaching Organization

Students Evaluation

Evaluation methods:

• Compulsory attendance at (at least) 75% of the laboratory exercises.
• Written final exams in the theoretical part of the course(80% of the final grade).
• Written final exams in the laboratory part of the course with multiple choice, short development and problem-solving questions (20% of the final grade).
• Optional written assignments in laboratory exercises.

The evaluation criteria are presented and analyzed to the students at the beginning of the semester.

Recommended Bibliography

1. Food Packaging. Principles and Practice. G.,L.Robertson. Marcel Dekker.