E.A. Grigorova, A.E. Suslov, J.A. Fatychov, O.A. Pantjushin

 

The outlook of using retort-packages for fish conned food

 

«Kaliningrad State Technical University», Kaliningrad,  Russia

 

It is already 200 years since discovery of safe and customary now method of storing food which is conning. Packaging of conned food has undergone considerable changes since then. Conned food is being packed now into various materials – it may be plastics, foil, glass and tin – plated sheet metal. But obviously the customary cans are going to be substituted by retort packages. This is a special hind of packaging: a package being sterilized together with the product. Retort – packages are special tanks made of multi-layer plastics, allowing sterilization at temperatures higher than 100°C. They are handy, as they allow warning up the contents in a microwave oven, may have a convenient fastening, small size and small weight. The retort package was for the first time developed in the USA in 1950 and was used for “Apollo” project realization. In 1977 the Department for agriculture of USA (USDA) approved of Retort package for food products. They started to be widely used both in Japan and most European countries in 60s. Retort-packages are used in various sectors of food production: seasoning, chopped meat, pastes, sauces, beans products, various rice dishes, soups, hamburgers, stakes, meatballs, meat in oil, meat with seasoning, seasoned fish, fish in oil. Approximately 60% of the total member of conned food is used as fodder. Such way of packaging for sterilizing has great advantages both for the user and the manufacturer [2].

Advantages of “Retort-package”

·        Sterilization modes of a soft package are considerably softer and faster, which allows to produce a more natural flavor in a package.

·        Food products in packages are more tasty than those packed in tin cans. The time necessary for sterilizing in a retort-package is much less (only 6-7 minutes) than for the products in tin-plated containers.

·        Important is the lack of tin taste which sometimes accompanies products packed in tin cans in sprite of protective varnish plating.

·        Retort package may be placed into the microwave oven for 5 – 7 minutes and the dish is ready. The variant of transparent package is possible, when the user sees what is there inside.

·        Modern polymers are thermo stable, they do not dissipate harmful chemical elements into the product even at long heating at temperatures more than 100°-140C°.

·        Taste qualities of the product stored in a retort package for the same period of time as in a tin plated can are much higher.

·        Retort-packages are more ecologically safe for the environment, as the film is much simples utilized.

·        Retort packages may be manufactured in various sizes and forms: handle cut in a package, a figurative form of the package itself [4].

·        Owing to printing possibilities the retort packages are attractive, they allow unlimited number of designing solution, they have larger surface for advertising.

·        Retort-packages are convenient for transporting and storing, they are profitable for merchandizing, they occupy but little shelf space.

·        The package holds the flavor beautifully, keeping the original qualities of a product.

·        SMART – solution possibilities:

–     a zip-fastening package allows to preserve taste and flavor qualities of a product at long using after opening;

–     for the convenience of using viscous and liquid products retort packages may be produced with a pipe connection meter having a lid;

–     possibility of using such options as “cutting” + “laser marker” at the packages for convenient opening.

·        Retort-package using allows to carry on very quick thermal sterilization. Heat transfer speed by 3 times higher than in tin or glass cans.

·        Considerable decrease of energy consumption due to the sterilization time drop.

·        The fruit packed in glass cans are heated much slower than in packages of the same size. Sterilization time of retort packages may be cut by 50%.

Bettering of product taste qualities at the same terms of storing. Due to the short sterilization time retort package has exhibited a magnificent results in color and flavor. In particular, products which contain greater quantity of sugar, flavor component (volatile as a rule) or ingredients, easily destructed by high temperature need thin containers with the great thermo exchange surface for carrying out thermal sterilizing for the shortest possible time. For example, retort-packed product for sterilizing dishes made of carrots has got much better color and density compared to a conned product The retort-packed sauces have much better flavor characteristics than canned product.

Besides, retort packages prevent undesirable reactions connected with metal diffusion to a product, emerging at packing in the cans, which is of great meaning for products containing much sugar; fruit for example.

Small size and light weight of retort packages provides:

–     shelf area necessary for storing empty package;

–     cutting transporting expenses;

–     cutting expenses connected with trans porting and storing the products in the outlets. The weight of packed product is cut by 60-70%.

Retort-packages are easier utilized after using, besides wastes of packing and product due to breakage in handling and transit of glass. Definite advantages of retort packages are in costs. Food tin used for producing cans is a rather expensive material and costs of metal con is constantly increasing. On the contrary, costs of packages made of plastic film are getting stable and grow much slower, their costs (1000 packages) are by 1.5 times lower than those of mode of metal.

Conclusions

Analyzing advantages of flexible package for sterilizing, it is getting clear, that it is showing great promise. In the early 2000 some specialists were positive that tin package has no future and it is to be substituted by retort-packages very soon. But this forecast has not come true. One of the reasons is a conservative user’s behavior, accustomed to buy a certain product in a certain kind of package. Packager is an integral attribute of a brand, of a commodity itself. So the attitude to it is being changed as slowly as the taste habits.

An important limit of using retort-packages as well as any other innovative package is powerful equipment for packaging foodstuffs in tin cans and glass. Purchasing new equipment means investments of finance, which many companies are not ready to do, because they rely on operating machines which are not worn out physically.

Packaging industry development depends on the manufacturers desire for high quality, increasing shelf life, marketing properties and handiness. Nowadays is aspiration is less damage for environments. So the future belongs to a retort packing.

Literature:

1.     http://nnm.ru/blogs/paradoksik/istoriya_upakovki/ Electron resource. Free access.

2.     http://www.kursiv.ru/kursivnew/paket_magazine/archive/29/22.php  Electron resource. Free access.

3.     http://www.newchemistry.ru/letter.php?n_id=4337&cat_id=8&page_id=2 Electron resource. Free access.

4.     http://packintorg.com/stati/doypak-doy-pack-stoyachiy-paket/retort-paketyi.html  . Electron resource. Free access.