Foil bag packaging creates a barrier between dry products and a range of external contaminants, including dust, microorganisms, chemical pollutants, moisture, and even oxygen and UV light. By doing so, the foil packaging safeguards the purity and safety of your products during storage and transit, and is suitable for various sterile supplies, food products, laboratory specimens, and medical ingredients.
What Is Foil Bag Packaging?
Foil bag packaging, foil pouches, or barrier bags are regularly used in the food processing and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries for packaging dry ingredients, such as nuts, grains, spices, coffee beans, and flour. It is also widely used in chemical manufacturing for packing powders, pigments, and other sensitive industrial materials. Most foil bags for packaging use a layer of aluminium foil, which insulates the products against thermal shock, as well as excluding environmental contaminants.
In laminated foil packaging, this layer is sandwiched between thin layers of plastic films, made from polyester or polyethylene, to give your products additional protection and maintain the integrity of the packaging. These films give the packaging extra flexibility, strength, and protection characteristics, and can extend the shelf life and freshness of sterile or sensitive products.
Why is it important to safeguard dry products from oxygen, moisture, and UV?
Oxygen Protection
As animals dependent on oxygen for our moment-to-moment existence, it is easy to forget that oxygen is a highly corrosive substance. Oxidation is one of the catalysts of rust on ferrous metals, for example, and is also one of the biggest threats to dry bulk products. Oxygen exposure can quickly cause oxidation and spoilage (this is what happens when a bottle of wine tastes ‘corked’), undermining the quality of your products. Foil bag packaging establishes an impermeable barrier that prevents atmospheric oxygen from entering the package and coming into contact with your product. By vacuum sealing your products in foil pouches, moreover, any remaining traces of oxygen inside the packet can be removed before sealing it completely. This helps preserve the freshness and flavour of dry products.
UV Protection
UV (ultraviolet) radiation can cause photochemical reactions in many dry bulk products, changing their colour, taste, and texture. This can ruin food and compromise safety and compliance in medical products, so it’s important to choose a ‘food grade’ foil packaging product that excludes UV rays and protects your goods from any potential damage. This is particularly essential for products that are sensitive to light exposure, such as some dried foods, cosmetics, and paint pigments.
Moisture Protection
Moisture is the nemesis of dry bulk products, and can quickly cause clumping and degradation of the product, as well as encouraging mould growth. Foil bag packaging is designed to prevent any water or atmospheric humidity from entering your packaging. The multiple layers of plastic films used in laminated foil packaging are especially effective at keeping moisture out. High quality foil packaging is completely watertight. For foil packaging to do its job, therefore, bulk products must be thoroughly dehydrated before packaging; otherwise, residual moisture may be trapped inside the packaging and cause spoilage.
Get In Touch
Please get in touch with the team at Cliffe Packaging today and explore our range of foil packaging solutions.
