Test Procedures for
Packaging Materials and
Packaged Products
Kaynat Zahid
Muhammad Usama Bin Hasan
Food Packaging:
“It is defined as a method to protect and contain foods with the
aim of minimizing the environmental impact of our consumption.”
Purpose of Packaging:
Prevent from Physical, Chemical or Microbial damage
Ensure safety during transportation and storage
Stops tampering by other customers
Attracts consumers to buy product
Stops tampering by other customers
What If A Product gets damaged ?
Packaging failed to fulfill primary objectives
Customer will return the product
Customer might not purchase the product
Product rejections concern for company
Failures happen repeatedly, brand name will be
damaged which might cause economic losses.
So its better to check and test packaging it will save
a lot of time and money.
Classification of Tests
Testing of Material
Paper
Film
Laminate
Testing of formed Package
Carton
Bottle
Pouch
Chemical Test
pH value
sulphite or chloride in paper
Mechinical Test
Stiffness of Board
Tensile strength
GSM Test
Most basic test and also called grammage test
It is weight of 1 square meter of sample of paper
A sample of 100cm2 area is taken and cut
Weight accurate to 0.01gm and then multiplied
with 100
Thickness Test
Thickness is the perpendicular distance between
the two principle surfaces
It is used for paper, paperboard, laminates, films
etc
Sample is measured on a thickness gauge
It is mounted on a vertical stand with weight on
top called dead mass
Weight exerts pressure of 50kPa(100kPa as per
ISO) to contact surface.
Grease Resistance Test
Used for packaging material used for packing of fat based
foods like butter, ghee, oil etc
Take 5 g sand on specimen through a hollow metallic
cylinder
Topping the sand with 1.1ml of colored turpentine dye
This is placed on a white paper and specific intervals
Indicator sheet is examined for the first spot and then
experiment stops
Application of turpentine dye and appearance of first stain is
known as transudation time.
Water Penetration/ Cobb Test
Measures amount of water absorbed by sample during
penetration from one side to another
Used for paper and paperboards used for shipping containers
Weighed sample is clamped under metal base plate
Then exposed to water for 1 minute
Area exposed is 100 cm2
After specific time sample removed, blotted and reweighed
Difference in weight indicates amount of water absorbed
Pinhole Test
Aluminium foils are used in food packaging to
enhance barrier properties and to protect contents
from gas/moisture permeation.
Thinner gauges of Al foil contain pinholes through
which oxygen and moisture can enter packaging
Sample of foil is placed on glass plate with lights
under it called light box and have hood on top
Pinholes will be visible as white spots pass though
them and other surface is opaque
Count no. of spots per square meter
Delamination Test (Peel Bond Test)
Laminates are formed by bonding together two or
more layers
Performance is based ability of laminate to function
as single unit
Ply separation is done by heating or by using solvent
Plies are then placed into grips of tensile testing
machine
Plies are separated and the force that separates plies
is called bond strength
Most difficult part of process is sample preparation
Seal Strength Test
Seal strength is quantitative measure for use in
process validation, process control and capability.
It is not only package integrity and opening force but
to also measure packaging processes
Used for laminates and formed pouches
Samples are cut from formed pouch
Test specimen is then gripped in a tensile testing
machine
Grips are separated and the force requited to separate
is called seal strength.
Permeation Tests
Plastic packages are permeable to small molecules like
gases, water vapors, aromas, flavor etc.
Because of barrier properties molecules move from high to
low
These are MVTR or WVTR(Moisture vapor or water
vapor) to GTR or OTR (Gas or Oxygen) Transmission rates
Used for plastic films and laminates
Samples put into WVTR/OTR machine have 2 chambers of
different concentrations
Amount of moisture or gas permeates through film
calculated .
Lower the value higher the barrier
Co-efficient of Friction Test
The amount of friction required to be overcome to initiate
motion is called static co-efficient of friction
Amount of friction required to be overcome to continue the
motion is called kinetic co-efficient of friction
Used for plastic films and laminates
A sled weighing 200 +5g is wrapped with sample
Then it is slide over substrate or stainless steel with speed of
150+30mm/min
The initial and average drag force is recorded and divided by
weight to measure co-efficients
Ink Rub Test/ Scuff Test
This test allows to create standardized conditions of rubbing
to evaluate performance of samples
Evaluate efficiency of varnishing or any special coatings on
printed surface
Applicable to all types of printed packaging
Rotary/ Patra rub test is used for rigid substrates like
paperboards
This done for thinner and flexible samples which crumple on
rotary rubbing
Linear/ Sutherland Rub Test is all rounder test can be used
on all thin and thick samples
Pouch compression Test
When shipper carton fails, stacking leads can be transmitted
on package.
Used for blister pouches and flexible pouches
Applied only to gas and liquid filled packs, or those that can
filled with water for testing
Static compression test, package is loaded up to
predetermined level, held there for specific time and then
relaxed. This may or may not lead to burst
Dynamic compression test, package is loaded
incrementally till it can bear the load any longer and then
bursts open.
Vacuum Leakage Test
Package integrity is often an important characteristics of
package performance
A leak means an opening in flexible part that contrary to
intention either lets contents escape or permits substances to
enter
This is used for pouches, blister packs, cans, bottles etc
This test is only applicable to detect leaks, pinholes and gaps
which can allow fluid or gas to pass out or water to enter
package
Not suitable for detecting micro leakages or for testing
packages containing high viscosity
Test methods
Dry test
Package is filled with liquid or colored water
White tissue paper is kept under sample in vaccum desiccator
tank
Bottles should be placed inverted
Tank is then closed and gradually vaccum applied to a
predetermined level
This vaccum is for defined time and
then released
If there is any leakage the tissue
paper might have been stained
Wet test
In this the package contains solid or powder and air in
headspace
Vaccum desiccator is filled with water and package is dipped
in water
Keep dipped in water
Tank is closed and vaccum applied to a predetermined level
Then this vaccum is applied for a certain time
Leaks can be identified by steams of
air bubbles.
If constant stream of air bubbles, confirmed leakage
But sometimes water enters the packs
from leak spots when vaccum is released
Torque Test
Package integrity in bottles has less chances of hampering
due to pinholes
More chances of leakage due to loosely fitting closures
So bottles should be closed with optimum torque
Bottle is attached on a torque tester
Closure applied until cap threads slip over each other
Peak reading recorded
This is slip torque
Packaging machines not allowed to tighten the bottle up to
level of torque
Pressure Test for Glass Bottles
This test is for bottles used for liquor, carbonated beverages,
soda water
In this certain amount of internal pressure is to withstand
Devices are available to determine internal pressure
Internal pressure of 150kg/cm2 for 1 minute is applied
The temperature in this case is important
as the mentioned pressure is applied at
30 degree Celsius and may fail
withstand same pressure at 60
Impact Test
Used for bottles that are used again and again
In this, a steel ball of 400 gm is dropped from height of
10cm on bottle
For milk bottles, ball is dropped thrice on same spot on
bottle and bottle should not freak or crack
In pendulum test the steel ball swings like pendulum and
strikes to ball held tightly
Headspace Gas Analysis
MAP is used to enhance shelf life of food that are sensitive to
oxygen or other gases
MAP involves flushing of nitrogen to displace air inside
package
Sometimes flushing is inefficient and oxygen left inside
packing leads to reduced shelf life
A septum seal sticker is applied to and the needle in pushed
through it
The gas inside is allowed to come out through needle and is
analyzed by oxygen sensor
Instrument shows the O2% directly.
Moisture Content
Presence of excess moisture effects paper based packaging
The moisture should be between 6-8%
When moisture goes upto 12% the compression strength will
take a dip of 26%
Another major issue which specifically is of interest to food
industry is formation of mildew.
Moisture and porosity in paper when combined with dark and
cold climate of warehouse provide conditions for bacteria
and fungi growth
It can be find out by:
Oven
Instant Meters
Drop Test
Individual unit packages or secondary packages are dropped at
different heights and different orientations to access
durability
The test height is actually the expected height from where a
product can fall off in reality
Heavier packages are dropped from lower heights
Similarly light weights are placed on higher shelves or stacked
higher and they should be dropped from higher heights
