Retort pouch
A retort pouch or retortable pouch is a type of
Some varieties have a bottom gusset and are known as stand-up pouches.
History
The current form of the retort pouch was invented by the
In 1968, Otsuka Foods Company of Japan became the first company in the world to commercialize a retort food product. The product was a Japanese curry called "Bon Curry". Curry became a food that could be stored for long periods of time and, like instant noodles, could be eaten in three minutes with boiling water.[4][5] Since detailed technical information on the retort pouch, which was a military technology, was not publicly available, Otsuka Foods Company developed it in cooperation with a Group company that developed intravenous drugs using high-temperature sterilization technology.[5]
Construction
A retort pouch is constructed from a flexible metal-plastic laminate that is able to withstand the thermal processing used for
- polyester (PET) – provides a gloss and rigid layer, may be printed inside
- nylon (bi-oriented polyamide) – provides puncture resistance
- aluminum(Al) – provides a very thin but effective gas barrier
- food-grade cast polypropylene (CPP) – used as the sealing layer
- polyethylene (PE) – can be used instead of PP as a sealing and bonding layer
This multi-layer structure prevents the retort pouch from being recycled into other retort pouches or food packaging. However, the material can be recycled into an aluminized resin or up-cycled into textile materials.[6] The weight of a pouch is less than regular cans or bottles, and the energy required to produce each pouch is less than competing packaging from metals, paper, and glass.
Reception
In the consumer market, retort pouches have gained great popularity outside of the United States, particularly in the Pacific Rim region. However, American consumers have evidently demonstrated reluctance regarding the packaging technology, and its adoption has been slow. As a result, many retort packages sold in the United States are packaged in cartons to give them an appearance more familiar to consumers. Tasty Bite products are an example of a retort pouch product packaged in a carton. Several American food distributors have begun manufacturing foods in retort pouches without cartons, notably tuna canning companies Chicken of the Sea, and Bumble Bee. In 2012, the Campbell Soup Company introduced its Go line of ready-to-eat soups in stand-up retort pouches to American consumers.[7]
See also
- Retort
- Shelf-stable food
- Environmental impacts of sterile food packaging
References
- PMID 22260129.
- ^ Manju, S (2004). "Heat penetration characteristics and shelf life studies of seer fish moilee packed in retort pouch" (PDF). Fishery Technology. 41 (1): 37–44. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ (Food & Drug Packaging) Retort pouches build up steam: big food companies are taking advantage of technical advances to bring out retorted products in flexible material - Technology: retort packaging [1]
- ^ "Japan's Bon Curry certified as world's longest-selling retort pouch curry brand". Mainichi Shimbun. 12 January 2023. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Why Flexible Packaging | Maco PKG". Maco PKG. 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- ^ "Kicking The Can: Campbell's CEO Bets On Soup-In-A-Bag For 20-Somethings". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
Further reading
- Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6