Good Goulash. An investigation of packaging material E L I N A B E R G S T R Ö M. e l i n a k t h. s e R O B E R T S A N D E L L

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Good Goulash An investigation of packaging material E L I N A B E R G S T R Ö M e l i n a b @ k t h.

1 Good Goulash An investigation of packaging material E L I N A B E R G S T R Ö M e l i n a k t h. s e R O B E R T S A N D E L L r s a n d e k t h. s e E L L I O V E G Å R D W I K S T R Ö M e l l v i k 0 k t h. s e Course: SE Packaging Materials Date:

Introduction This report goes through the work of choosing the design of an organic material package for goulash soup produced in small/medium scale by a family company.

2 Introduction This report goes through the work of choosing the design of an organic material package for goulash soup produced in small/medium scale by a family company. Goulash soup is normally packed in tin cans and it is a challenge to find organic materials that meet the requirements of product flow, protection and runnability properties. We think that there is a market for a family pack of goulash soup because it is currently only available in small half liter tin cans. Assignment To gain experience for the quality measures of packaging design you should carry out a design in organic materials (paper, board and polymers) of a package for a food product that is today primarily packed in tin cans. Typical products that you can consider are fermented herring (surströmming), tuna, fish (fiskbullar), gulasch, pet food etc. In your analysis you should consider all functions of the packaging system, but focus should be on product flow, protection and runnability properties. You should also consider manufacturing issues and costs. However, we are not looking for detailed quantitative analyses, but rather qualitative analyses. [1] Analysis Initial analysis took the form of a meeting where different options were considered. Shape, material, packaging requirements and distribution were discussed and sketched out. After consultation with our supervisor it was decided to use Korsnäs s Optipack program to calculate the best type of paperboard to use. The results were as follows. Box type: Korsnäs A6020. The following parameters were set for the package: Normal transport and environment; Dimensions A*B*H=90*90*195 [mm]; Weight of content 1500g; Tower stacking with stack height 5; Load direction H and fiber direction 2 as shown in Figure 1. Cape pack was used to investigate optimized transportation. Product flow Figure 1 Loading and fiber direction The product flow is important in an economical and environmental point of view. One does not want to have large quantities of a product in storage longer than necessary just as one does not want to run out of a product. Ideally one can employ a just in time strategy.

Transport Figure 2 Good goulash package components This product will be marketed in Scandinavia where good transportation and storage facilities are readily available, resulting in normal transport

3 Handling The 90*90[mm] base means that the package is easily gripped by an adult hand. As shown in Figure 2, for the consumer s benefit, a zip-lock is incorporated in the package to make it easier to open and reseal the container. Transport Figure 2 Good goulash package components This product will be marketed in Scandinavia where good transportation and storage facilities are readily available, resulting in normal transport and environment conditions. It is packed on a pallet with shrink wrapping, corner and edge posts to stabilize it. The stack height of 5 allows us to remain within the normal max height for Sweden (1250mm) [2].Tower stacking maximizes the use of the individual packages strength potential. (Figure 3) Storage Figure 3 Capepack diagram of pallet (Appendix 1) Do not store under -10 C as PP will become brittle and potatoes taste awful after being frozen. Unopened package should be stored at room temperature and pressure, but below 30 C. Opened package should be kept refrigerated.

4 Protection Mechanical It is the characteristic of stiffness which enables paperboard to be used for a wide range of packaging and graphical applications. Without stiffness paperboard would not be able to perform its prime function of providing the packaged contents with physical protection. [3] A high stiffness is achieved in the paperboard by a combination of long fibers and shorter fibers in a sort of sandwich structure there the shorter fibers gives a low density material and the longer fibers in the surfaces of the material are bounded together strongly. [3] The product volume is set to 1.5l as this is a family pack (i.e. four portions of goulash soup), the weight of which is approximated to 1.5kg. Fiber direction 2 chosen so as to reduces bulge and shrinkage as well as improving printing and automated gluing properties. Tower stacking chosen as this means full strength potential is realized. Vertical loading is chosen as it fully utilizes properties enhanced by fiber in 2 direction, eases handling in retail and for final product use in the home as package to be opened on short side. The package dimensions are also chosen such that total volume of package is 1.581l, leaving an empty volume of 0.08l between the product and the lid of the package. This is optimal as it ensures that the packaging is the load bearing component of the product. Optipack suggests Korsnäs White 265 with BCR=180 but we choose to use Korsnäs Light 250 BCR=182 as it is a lighter (grammage of 265 contra 250) and cheaper as it is less refined than Korsnäs White is. According to the Korsnäs website, It must be clean, taint and odor neutral in order not to affect the contents. Packaging for frozen food must also be moisture resistant. Korsnäs Light is the optimal choice for dry, frozen or chilled food. Long, unbleached fibers give this carton board its formability, stability and strength. These features support creative design without compromising functionalities like tear strips and different kinds of openings/closures. Another important characteristic is the high moisture resistance that is very valuable in the whole distribution chain for chilled products. [4] Barrier This product is likely to be hot filled which the paperboard can handle but it limits choice of plastic barrier. Polypropylene is selected as it has a melting point of 165 C. Bi-axially oriented PP is preferred as it is clear, thinner material can be used for the same mechanical properties, and therefore less material used and ultimately cheaper. PP is a good water barrier, Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) is a good oxygen barrier but is water sensitive, and hence one should have a laminate of EVOH sandwiched between two layers of PP. Runnability Runnability can be defined as the paperboard s ability to be converted in operations such as printing, cutting, creasing and packaging with the minimum of disruption and at a satisfactory level of efficiency. [4]

The paper's ability to hold ink on the surface consistently, to absorb ink uniformly, its dimensional stability, and its surface texture all affect how well a paper will run on the press.

5 The paper's ability to hold ink on the surface consistently, to absorb ink uniformly, its dimensional stability, and its surface texture all affect how well a paper will run on the press. [5] Stiffness and flatness Stiffness and flatness are important paperboard properties for good runnability. Enough flatness is important for the ability of a good print on the paperboard surface. The Korsnäs Light 250 paperboard has a surface evenness of 2.0 microns and has a fine clay-coated print surface which allows a depth of color and high gloss (Figure 4). The printing quality should be better compared to if a corrugated is used since the paperboard unlike the corrugated don t has any washboard. The choice of printing process is flexographic printing, advantages of flexographic printing is that it provides solid color and good ink coverage in addition the flexographic plates are relatively inexpensive. A disadvantage with flexographic printing is that a halo effect can be observed. The chosen fiber direction also helps to improve the paperboard s printing properties. Environment Figure 4 Korsnäs Light with printing [6] Material savings The amount of material used has been kept low due to streamlining the types and processing methods of the materials used. As mentioned above bi-axially oriented PP means thinner films can be used and hence less material in total. Choosing a paperboard of less grammage than that suggested by the software means less fiber is used in the end product. Environmental concern Using Korsnäs Light as opposed to Korsnäs White means that less processing is used in the production of this paperboard. This limits the amount of energy used. The rectangular shape of the package means the product can be packed efficiently, maximizing the number of packages per pallet, reducing the amount of fuel used in transporting and ultimately reducing the product s carbon footprint.

6 Communication Information All information and instructions are printed on the outer surface of the paperboard. This can include points of interest such as how to prepare soup, cooking tips, storage, contents / ingredients and contact information. Promotion As this product is made by a small family company promotion will initially be focused on local areas. Local newspapers, radio and television stations will be used as well as strategically chosen internet advertisement. For a more human touch trail tasting in local supermarkets will also be used to expose consumers to the product. Conclusion A package for a 1.5 liters family pack of goulash soup was designed. The layup of packages on the pallet was optimized using Cape pack (Appendix 1). The stack height was set to 5 packages to meet the Swedish standard of pallet height. The Korsnäs Light 250 paperboard was chosen as outer layer material and to work as mechanical protection. As a barrier material, a laminate of bi-axially oriented Polypropylene (PP) and Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) was chosen with the layup (PP/EVOH/PP). PP is a good water barrier and EVOH is a good oxygen barrier. The paperboard fibers are in the horizontal direction to provide good handling properties. The Korsnäs Light 250 paperboard provides a good printability on the outer surface and it can be used in a wide range of temperature. The plastic barrier can be used in temperatures down to -10 C. The plastic laminate material has the advantage that it can be hot filled. We believe that this is a product that can be easily turned into a reality. References [1] Project assignment. [2] Design project in SE2127 Packaging Materials, 2009; Department of Solid Mechanics, KTH [3] Paperboard reference manual, Iggesund Paperboard AB [4] HYPERLINK " [5] HYPERLINK " \t "_new" Copyright Tecstra Systems Corporation/PrintingTips.com - All Rights Reserved 2009 International Paper Company. All rights reserved. [6] Bild korsnäs light HYPERLINK " %2fwww.korsnas.com%2fen%2fInspiration%2fGallery%2fTraditional-chocolate-box%2f" \t "_blank" Appendix 1 - Capepack

Packing Design for Canned Fruit

Packing Design for Canned Fruit KTH 2009-03-06, Department of Solid Mechanics Design project in SE2127 Packaging Materials, 2009 Frida Schildauer, 820429-1986 Pedro Soler, 841216-A419 Introduction One