Barrier film technologies protect food from
deterioration by reducing or eliminating oxygen
and water vapor permeation. Barrier films are
becoming more widespread, in part because
of increasing popularity of prepackaged food,
which help supermarkets reduce the labor costs
of on-site packaging. Packaging that delivers
extra-long shelf life depends upon high barrier
performance in trays and film, especially combined
with modified atmosphere technology. To achieve
better performance for these applications, as well
as support new creative packaging designs, the
packaging industry uses multi-layer constructions.
These sophisticated films utilize many different
materials with specific properties to provide a
precisely engineered barrier solution against water
vapor, oxygen, or even ultraviolet light.