College of Agriculture, Food and Climate Science

Department of Food Science and Postharvest Technology

Course: Packaging Technology (FSPT3042)

By: Eshetie Gelagay (MSc in Food Process Engineering)

Lecture I

By : Eshetie Gelagay, Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 1
 1.Introduction to Food Packaging Technology
1. Introduction

 Packaging is a socio-scientific discipline that ensures goods are delivered to

consumers in the best condition for their intended use.
 Food packaging is the process of enclosing food products in suitable containers

or packaging materials to protect them from external factors such as physical damage,
contamination, and spoilage.
 It involves the design, production, and use of packaging materials and containers
specifically tailored to the needs of different types of food products.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 2
 The primary objectives of food packaging are to maintain the quality and safety of
the food,
 extend its shelf life, and provide convenience for storage, transportation, and
consumption.

 Additionally, food packaging plays a crucial role in informing consumers about the
product,
 including nutritional information, ingredients, allergens, and preparation
instructions.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 3
 2.Package, Packaging, Packing:

Package: A package refers to a container or wrapping in which something is stored,

transported, or sold.

 It can be any material, such as a box, bag, wrapper, or container, used to enclose or
protect goods.
Packaging: Packaging is the process of designing, producing, and enclosing products in
packaging materials for storage, transport, display, and sale.
 It involves selecting appropriate materials, designing packaging structures, and incorporating
labeling and branding elements to protect and market the product effectively.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 4
 Packing: Packing refers to the act of placing or arranging items into a container or
package for storage, transportation, or shipment.

 It involves organizing and securing the contents within the packaging to ensure they

remain intact and protected during handling and transit.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 5
 3.Value of Packaging to the Society

• Some of the societal benefits of packaging may include the following:

 prevents or reduces product damage and food spoilage,
thereby saving energy and vital nutrients, and protecting the health of the consumer
 reduces or eliminates the risk of tampering and adulteration
 communicates important information about the food and helps consumers make
informed purchases
extends the shelf life with the benefit of prolonged product use, thereby reducing
wastage

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 6
 3.Basic functions of packaging

• Containment: depends on the product’s physical form and nature. For

example, a hygroscopic free-flowing powder or a viscous and acidic
tomato concentrate
• Protection: prevention of mechanical damage due to the hazards of
distribution
• Preservation: prevention or inhibition of chemical changes, biochemical
changes and microbiological spoilage
• Information about the product: legal requirements, product ingredients,
use etc.
• Convenience: for the pack handlers and user(s) throughout the
packaging chain

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 7
Presentation: material type, shape, size, color, merchandising display units etc.

Brand communication: e.g. pack persona by the use of typography, symbols,

illustrations, advertising and color, thereby creating visual impact

 Promotion (Selling): free extra product, new product

 Economy: for example, efficiency in distribution, production and storage
Environmental responsibility: in manufacture, use, reuse, or recycling and final
disposal.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 8
 5.Packaging design and development
 Market pull:
 Pre-requisite to successful innovation in:
• Packaging materials,
• Forms,
• Designs or processes.

 The most ingenious technological innovation has little chance of success unless
there is a market demand.
 The development of packs is frequently a time-consuming and creative
endeavor
The use of multidisciplinary teams may expedite the packaging
development process.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 9
 This has the effect of improving the quality of the final product by minimizing
problems caused by:
 Design consequences that can result from sequential development
 Computer assisted design (CAD) and rapid prototyping facilities for
design and physical modelling of packs give:
 Packaging development teams the ability to accelerate the initial
design process.
 In packaging development, thorough project planning is essential
 Packaging optimization is a main concern of the packaging
development function
 The development of a plastic bottle pack for a juice drink may involve
typical stages listed in Table 1.2.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 10
 By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 11
  Packaging optimization is a main concern of the packaging development
function.
 The aim is to achieve an optimal balance between:
 Performance,
 Quality and cost, i.e. value for money

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 12
 The packaging design and development framework
 Product needs
 Distribution needs and wants
 Packaging materials, machinery and production
processes
 Consumer needs and wants
 Market needs and wants
 Environmental performance

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 13
 Product needs

 The product and its package should be considered together

 i.e. the total product concept.
 Product’s characteristics,
 The intrinsic mechanism(s) by which it can deteriorate,
 Its fragility in distribution and
 Possible interactions with packaging materials – i.e. compatibility
 Is essential to the design and development of appropriate packaging.
 These characteristics concern the physical, chemical, biochemical and microbiological nature of the product
 The greater the value of the product, the higher is the likely investment in packaging to limit product
damage or spoilage i.e. there is an optimum level of packaging.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 14
 Distribution needs and wants of packaging

 A thorough understanding of the distribution system is:

 fundamental for designing cost-effective packaging that provides:
• The appropriate degree of protection to the product and is acceptable
to the user
 Distribution may be defined as the journey of the pack from the point of
filling to the point of end use.
 The three distribution environments are climatic, physical and biological
 Failure to properly consider these distribution environments will result in poorly designed
packages, increased costs, consumer complaints and even avoidance by the customer.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 15
  Climatic environment is the environment that can cause damage to the product as a
result of gases, water and water vapor, light, dust, pressure and the effects of heat or
cold.
 The appropriate application of technology will help prevent or
 delay such deleterious effects during processing, distribution
and storage

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 16
  Physical environment is the environment in which physical damage can be
caused to the product:
 During warehouse storage and distribution that may involve one or more
modes of transportation (road, rail, sea or air) and
 a variety of handling operations (pallet movement, case opening, order
picking etc.).
 These movements subject packs to a range of mechanical hazards such as
impacts, vibrations, compression, piercing, puncturing etc.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 17
  Biological environment is the environment in which the package
interacts with pests – such as rodents, birds, mites and insects – and
microbes.
 For pests, an understanding of their survival needs, sensory
perceptions, strength, capabilities and limitations is required.
 For microbes, an understanding of microbiology and methods of
preservation is necessary

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 18
  Other factors that need to be considered
when designing packaging for distribution
purposes include,
 Convenience in storage and display,
 Ease of handling,
 clearly identifiable and secure

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 19
 Packaging materials, machinery and production processes

 Packaging is constantly changing with the introduction of new materials,

technology and processes.
 These may be due to the need for improved product quality, productivity,
logistics service, environmental performance and profitability
 Selection of the most appropriate materials, machinery and production
processes for:
 Safe, environmentally sound and cost effective performance of the
packaging system is the main aim for packaging
design and development
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 20
 Most packaging operations in food manufacturing businesses are automatic or semi-
automatic operations.
 Such operations require packaging materials that can run effectively and efficiently on
machinery.
 Packaging needs to be of the specified dimensions, type and format within specified
tolerances.
 The properties of the material will need to take account of the requirements of the
packing and food processing operations.
 They will, therefore, need to have the required properties such as tensile strength and
stiffness, appropriate for each container and type of material.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 21
  Packaging machinery is set up to run with a particular type of packaging material and even
minor changes in the material can lead to problems with machine performance.
 The introduction of new packaging materials and new designs must be managed with care
 Materials should be selected after machine trials have shown that the required machine
efficiency and productivity can be realized.
 New designs may require minor or major machine modification that will add direct costs in
retooled parts.
 Indirect costs may result from machine downtime, prolonged changeover times and additional
training costs for operators.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 22
 Consumer needs and wants of packaging

 A branded product is a product sold carrying the product manufacturer’s or

retailer’s label and
 Generally used by purchasers as a guide in assessing quality
 An interesting or visually attractive pack can give the crucial marketing edge and
persuade the impulsive consumer
 Packaging should accurately reflect product quality/brand values in order to
avoid:
 consumer disappointment,
 encourage repeat purchase and build brand loyalty.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 23
  Packaging is critical to a consumer’s first impression of a product,
 Communicating desirability,
 acceptability,
 healthy eating image etc.
 Food is available in a wide range of product and pack combinations
that convey their own processed image perception to the consumer
e.g. freshly packed/prepared, chilled, frozen, ultra-heat treated
(UHT) aseptic, in-can sterilized and dried products.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 24
  One of the most important quality attributes of food, affecting
human sensory perception is its flavor, i.e. taste and smell.
 Flavor can be significantly degraded by processing and/or
extended storage.
 Other quality attributes that may also be affected include
 Color,
 Texture and nutritional content.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 25
  The quality of a food depends not only on the quality of
 Raw ingredients,
 Additives,
 Methods of processing and packaging,
 But also on distribution and storage conditions
encountered during its expected shelf life

Define shelf life?

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 26
  Packaging provides the consumer with important information
about the product
 These include facts such as:
 Weight  The manufacturer’s details,
 Volume  Nutritional value
 Ingredients  Cooking and opening instructions

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 27
  A major driver of food choice and packaging innovation is the consumer demand for
convenience.
 There are many convenience attributes offered by modern packaging.
 These include:
 Ease of access and opening
 Disposal and handling
 Product visibility
 Re-sealability
 Microwave ability, prolonged shelf life etc.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 28
 Consumers have direct environmental impact through the way they purchase and the packaging waste
they generate.
 Consumers purchase packaging as part of the product and, over the years, the weight of packaging
has declined relative to that of the product contained.
 However, consumption patterns have generated larger volumes of packaging due to changing
demographics and lifestyles.
 It is the volume of packaging rather than the weight of packaging that is attracting critical public
attention.
 In addition, the trend toward increased pre-packaged foods and food service packaging has increased
the amount of plastics packaging waste entering the solid waste stream.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 29
 Multiple food retail market needs and wants

 The most significant development for the food packaging supply industries has been
the emergence of large retail groups.
 These groups exert enormous influence and control over:
 what is produced
 How products are presented and,
 How they are distributed to stores.
The large retailers handle a major share of the packaged grocery market and exert
considerable influence on food manufacturers and associated packaging suppliers.
 It is, therefore, important for packaging suppliers to be fully aware of market demand and respond
quickly to changes.
By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University
Saturday, April 5, 2025 30
  Packaging is a means of ensuring the safe delivery of a product to the
consumer at the right time in sound condition at optimum cost.
 The need for safe delivery of products at the right time and optimum
cost demands cost-effective protective packaging that facilitates high
logistics performance.
 The objective is to arrive at the optimum protection level that will meet
the customer’s service requirements at minimal expense.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 31
  A key to competitive edge for a product manufacturer may depend
on how quickly and effectively it responds to the retailer’s need for:
 high product turnover
 optimal level of fill on shelf
 efficient handling practice
 product integrity
 minimal stockholding

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 32
 Environmental performance of packaging

 Packaging forms only a small part of the total solid waste (TSW) stream
 For many years, the packaging sectors of the food industry have made
significant efforts for both:
 commercial and,
 environmental reasons
 To reduce the amount of packaging and its environmental impact
through light-weighting and packaging redesign

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 33
  Environmental policy on packaging should focus on resource-
efficiency and not just waste and recycling.
 A full strategic response to the environmental issue would include:
 minimizing energy and raw material use
 minimizing the impact on the waste stream
 not causing environmental damage.

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 34
 Thank You!
Q&ANs

By : Eshetie Gelagay,Department of FSPT, Injibara University

Saturday, April 5, 2025 35