What is retort pouch?
A retort pouch ( or retortable pouch ) is a type of food packaging made from a laminate of flexible plastic and metal foils. It allows the sterile packaging of a wide variety of food and drink handled by aseptic processing, and is used as an alternative to traditional industrial canning methods. Packaged foods range from water to fully cooked, thermo-stabilized (heat-treated) high-caloric (1,300 kcal on average) meals such as Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) which can be eaten cold, warmed by submersing in hot water, or through the use of a flameless ration heater, a meal component introduced by the military in 1992. Retort pouches are used in field rations, space food, camping food.
Recommendation of plastic film for retort pouch
BOPET(Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate): excellent heat and cold resistance(70~150℃).
BOPA(Biaxially-oriented polyamide): melting point 225℃, use in -60~130℃.
Cast polypropylene: Acid resistance, alkali resistance, grease resistance is good.
Aluminium Foil: barrier to light and oxygen odours and flavours, moistness, and germs.
Polyethylene Naphthalate (polyethylene 2,6-naphthalate or PEN): is a polyester with good barrier properties (even better than Polyethylene terephthalate). Because it provides a very good oxygen barrier, it is particularly well-suited for bottling beverages that are susceptible to oxidation. chemical and hydrolytic resistance, gaseous barrier, thermal and thermo-oxidative resistance and ultraviolet (UV) light barrier resistance compared to polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PEN is intended as a PET replacement, especially when used as a substrate for flexible integrated circuits.
BOPI( Biaxially-oriented Polyimide): lightweight, flexible, resistant to heat and chemicals.
PBT (Polybutylene terephthalate): CPBT is resistant to solvents, shrinks very little during forming, is mechanically strong, heat-resistant up to 150 °C (or 200 °C with glass-fibre reinforcement) and can be treated with flame retardants to make it noncombustible.Compared to PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PBT has slightly lower strength and rigidity, slightly better impact resistance, and a slightly lower glass transition temperature. PBT and PET are sensitive to hot water above 60 °C (140 °F). PBT and PET need UV protection if used outdoors, and most grades of these polyesters are flammable, although additives can be used to improve both UV and flammability properties.
PMP also known as Poly(4-methyl-1-pentene): is a thermoplastic polymer of 4-methyl-1-pentene. Most people call it TPX (Which is a trademark of Mitsui Chemicals) Melts at ≈ 235 °C. It has a very low density (0.84 g/cm3) and is transparent. It has low moisture absorption, and exceptional acoustical and electrical properties. Its properties are reasonably similar to those of other polyolefins, although it is more brittle and more gas permeable.
The image example lamination of retort pouch
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