D. Acierno et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF SHEET AND CONTAINERS OF ORIENTED POLYSTYRENE FOR FOOD-PACKAGING, Industrie alimentari, 33(332), 1994, pp. 1207-1213
Oriented polystyrene (OPS) has a very small diffusion asa primary food
packaging material in Europe, compared with American and Japanese mar
kets. This situation, however, could rapidly change due to the increas
ing importance of semi-rigid packaging for novel foods. In this work,
optical, diffusional and mechanical properties have been studied for O
PS sheeting and thermoformed tubs together with an evaluation of their
suitability for food contact and the appreciation of consumers interv
iewed when leaving supermarkets. Both for the sheeting and for the fin
ished containers were determined high gloss values, low haze, high mec
hanical performance and safety indications from the migration tests, b
ut low barrier properties against gases and water vapour transmission
were found. The conclusions from the interviews with the consumers wer
e quite in line with the objective analytical results. In fact, the co
nsumers recognized the innovative character of the OPS tub suggesting
its use for fresh and/or convenience foods (salads, cheeses, etc.): it
ems with short shelf-lives, requiring limited protection against gas e
xchanges but clear packaging for the best vision of the product.