Pizza is one of the world-famous Italian dishes because of its simplicity,
taste, nutritional value and low cost. It is usually consumed at specialize
d vending points, which also offer a take-away service. The packaging must
guarantee adequate protection against rapid temperature decrease and water
vapour elimination, to maintain quality. In this paper the performance of a
traditional corrugated cardboard container is compared with that of a new
package, realized with expanded polystyrene and a water-absorbing polymer.
The tests performed (water absorption, WVTR, thermal insulation and sensory
profile) showed that the new packaging was better than the traditional one
. The 'consumption life' of take-away pizza was increased, allowing the pro
duct to reach consumers nearly in the same condition in which it left the o
ven: warm and not softened. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & sons, Ltd.