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Discuss the types of Flexible packaging materials stating their merits and demerits

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These are types of packaging materials that have the ability to take the shape of
the food being packaged.

a. Paper
This is a popular type of packaging because it is cheap, readily available and has
a reasonable mechanical strength.
There are two broad categories of paper:
i) Untreated paper
ii) Treated or improved paper
Treated paper is modified to have a varying permeability with liquids and gases.
For example, waxed paper is used for bread wrapping/packaging and inner lining
of packaging material.
Laminated paper is mainly used in packaging dehydrated foods e.g. dried soups
and milk powder.
Kraft Paper is used in packaging dried seeds and grains.

Merits of using paper in food industries
1. Light in weight hence lower cost of transportation
2. It can be recycled
3. It is readily available and cheap to manufacture
4. Greatly versatile with reasonable mechanical strength.
5. It is semi flexible therefore can take the shape of a food
Demerits
1. If untreated, it is rough and non-appealing
2. It’s highly flammable that is its mechanical strength cannot resist burns or excess
weight during transportation
3. Untreated paper is not safe liquid food products

b. Plastics and synthetic Materials
These are materials that do not exist in their natural form but made using by-
products of most chemical industries e.g. PvC, Polythene, Polyester, Nylon, Cellophane, Laminates etc.
Polyvenylchloride (PvC) is used in packaging products such as Margarine, Yoghurt, Fats and Oils. It is also used in packaging foods in aeroplanes and armed forces
Polyester is used in packaging deep frozen foods e.g. meat Nylon is used in vacuum packaging of cheese, bacon and processed meat

Merits
1. It can be recycled
2. They are readily available and cheap to manufacture
3. Lower cost of transportation
4. It is semi-flexible i.e. can take shape of the food
5. They are reasonable strong
6. s the most commonly used but difficult to expose
Demerits
1. 10% of rubbish consist of plastic hence a problem in landfills because they are
bulky and degrade slowly
2. Interaction with food content emits some chemical compounds e.g. Dioxins which
would cause harm to the health of human.

Titany answered the question on November 5, 2021 at 05:29

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Discuss the types of Flexible packaging materials stating their merits and demerits

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