Vol.

16 / Issue-2 FEBRUARY 2012

www.wirefabrik.com/snippets/Feb12.pdf


MAKING HEALTHY PAPERS


Paper has become ubiquitous in our modern day living. While
using it in its various applications, we rarely ponder about its
hygiene, but when considering it for food contact uses, its
health becomes of paramount importance.

CAN PAPER BE CONSIDERED UNHEALTHY?

Microbes are present in every paper making machine, hence
their presence in the papermaking process is inevitable. The
circulation water also contains biodegradable dissolved
substances, with the pH and temperature being highly favorable
for microbial activity. Microorganisms develop very rapidly,
particularly in the closed loop systems of paper machines. The
biological agents include microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi
and viruses.

Apart from disrupting the process by slime formation, bacteria
entering the papermaking process from different sources are also
capable of surviving in the finished paper or board but in this
case, the contaminants are limited to the spores that survive the
heat of the drying section. Some such heat-resistant spores are :
Bacillus, Brevibacillus, and Paenibacillus.

Research also shows that even the finished paper gets easily
infested with bacteria such as E-Coli, Stapphyloccus, Salmonella
and Pseudomonas if handled frequently by many people.

PAPERS FOR FOOD CONTACT

Food packaging is aimed at preserving and protecting food
from environmental factors, therefore there are specified
regulations. According to the Food & Drug Authority (FDA), any
packaging that touches food is referred to as a "food contact
substance."

The Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS) and The Centre
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) are regulatory
bodies for ensuring the safety of any food contact substance.
The FDA, while evaluating the safety of food packaging, often
uses the criterion of "GRAS", or "generally regarded as safe."

Food packaging materials that have obtained GRAS status
can be widely used for a sufficient period of time with safety not
becoming an issue. Some of the common chemical substances
identified as gras in food grade paper and paperboard are :
alum and other aluminium salts, talc, starches (including modified
ones), proteins based on soya and casein, diatomaceous earth,
silicon dioxide, oleic acid etc. (incomplete list).
What is not GRAS ? : CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
Title 21 Sec. 176.170 relates to Components of paper and
paperboard in contact with aqueous and fatty foods while Sec.
176.180 relates to Components of paper and paperboard in
contact with dry foods.

CHLORINE AS A CONTAMINANT

Since the inception of papermaking, chlorine has been found
to be an effective bleaching chemical. The harmful effects of
chlorine were recognized much later. Chlorine use results in
production of dioxin (extremely toxic pollutant). Hence to make
healthy papers it is necessary that elemental chlorine be
largely replaced by chlorine dioxide bleaching.

Packing boxes made from Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)
paper, are environment friendly, hygienic and non-
contaminating. The benefits are now well recognized by sellers
of Indian confectionery sweets. Says a prominent mithaai
manufacturer The old packing material reduced shelf life of
sweets as it promoted rapid growth of bacteria. ECF paper - an
alternative to grey boards and straw boards - is now used
extensively by us.

ASEPTIC PACKAGING

Aseptic paper comprises of liquid paper board and four or
five layers of low-density polyethylene and one thin layer of
aluminum foil. Generally, the liquid paper board represents 75%
of the total weight of the package while aluminium foil and the
polyethylene layer accounts for balance 25%. All additives need
to follow the food contact legislation requirements.

Aseptic packaging systems have fundamentally changed the
handling of sensitive liquid foods. Distribution and storage no
longer requires refrigeration, resulting into a significant increase of
product shelf life. Aseptic packaging is increasingly demanded as
the system has proved invaluable in the distribution of milk and
other products.

BARRIER COATINGS

Functional and barrier coatings cover a broad spectrum of
materials that are coated onto paper and board to provide a
barrier of some sort to protect the materials inside, and / or to
enable the substrate to act as a suitable package for its contents.
The barrier requirements cover such materials as water and
water vapour, oil and grease, oxygen and aroma.


The Indian Governments elementary education programme or Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has given rise to a growing requirement
for school notebooks. This demand is presently being catered to by the largely disorganized small-scale manufacturing sector.
There is a large scope for medium and large manufacturers to provide better and more consistent quality notebooks through better
paper and automated machinery. This will also benefit the entire estimated 22 crore student population of India.
INDUSTRY
NEWS

Website: http : // www.wirefabrik.com


Although over one third of this market lies in liquid packaging,
there are other applications, covering packaging for a wide range
of food stuffs, pharmaceutical and medical items, cosmetics and
dry goods.

The Future of Functional and Barrier Coatings for Paper and
Board by PIRA, examines a range of technical developments in
the sector. It reports biotechnology as showing some exciting
results, with polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate
(PHA) showing particular promise, and starting to gain a market
presence. Development of curtain coating systems is creating
opportunities to add up to ten different coatings at the same time.
This could open up prospects for new types of coating materials.
Further developments in nanotechnology, plasma, liquid crystal
polymers, enzymes, SiOx and AlOx, water-based barrier coatings
and fluorochemicals are investigated in the study. Experiments
with chitosan solutions have indicated a promising method to
decrease the oxygen permeability.

ROLE OF FURNISH
Different base papers produced from different pulps and at
different conditions have been characterized with respect to their
barrier properties. For example, in a mill study the beating and
the calendaring has shown that sulphite pulp of low freeness,
yields superior barrier properties in comparison with 50/50
sulphite/sulphate of high freeness. Calendaring was shown to
have a substantial positive influence on the barrier properties.

GREASE RESISTANCE
The Kit test is used to quantify or compare the performance of
papers and boards, used for food contact and other packaging
applications where resistance to grease staining is important.
The Kit test measures the degree of repellence or anti-wicking of
paper and boards which have been treated with functional and
barrier chemicals. Test solutions with varying strengths of castor
oil, toluene, heptane and turpentine are used.

The highest numbered solution (the most aggressive) that
remains on the surface of the paper without causing failure is
reported as the "kit rating" (maximum 12).


GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Paperboard used for food packaging should be free of any
microbes endangering food safety. A very important part of
controlling this is minimizing the amount of trouble-causing
organisms entering the system. This is called good
housekeeping.

First, maintaining a clean machine condition, from the
entrance of raw materials through the machine to the reel and
converting is critical. Washups and Deposit control are an
integral part of controlling contamination. Pitch or stickies, scale,
fiber or filler deposits provide an ideal place for microorganisms
to grow. Probably the most important part of a microbiological
program is a proper boil-out.

Second is the selection of microbiological control chemicals.
While it is necessary to select the correct biocide, deciding how
and where to apply it, is equally important - besides assessing
the service capabilities of the chemical supplier.

CONCLUSION

With the increasing consumption of packaged foods, all
countries (even states within the US) are seized with the
responsibility of making individual regulations considered best for
their inhabitants. For example, CONEG (A Coalition of Governors of
North Eastern states in the US) stipulates the concentration levels
of four heavy metals namely lead, mercury, cadmium and
hexavalent chromium present in any package or packaging
component. Similarly, Californias EPA Proposition 65 has
collated a list of around 580 chemical substances which are
banned.

More recently, the Swiss Federal Institute of Risk
Assessment has concerned itself about the migration of mineral
oil from the recycled newsprint content of packaging boards, now
being considered as damaging to internal organs.

The Paper Packaging industry has thus to continuously
contend with such legislations to remain healthy.
QUOTABLE
QUOTE


A man without a smiling face must not open a shop Chinese proverb

SCRABBLE What does P A M stand for ? ( Hint : Wastepaper type)
First correct answer will win a Parker Vector Roller Pen (Maximum two prizes for one person in a year).
Post / Fax / Email your answers to EDITOR-W&F SNIPPETS by 20
th
February, 2012.
WINNER

JAN12

Mr. M. Duraisamy, Dy.Manager (Purchase), Seshasayee Paper and Boards Ltd, Erode 638 007
Answer: M I C R : MAGNETIC INK CHARACTER RECOGNITION

?QUIZ

Choose the right option :-
Which among these is considered to be a direct printing process. Why ?
a) Offset b) Digital c) Flexography d) Rotogravure
Post / Fax / Email your answers to EDITOR-W&F SNIPPETS by 20th February, 2012.

WINNER
JAN12
Mr. Tushar Udgata, Al-Oula Paper Manufacturing Company, Shuiba Industrial Area, Western Sector, Kuwait
Quiz : Place the following colourants in the order of their affinity to cellulosic fibre (highest to lowest).
a) Cationic dye b) Anionic dye c) Pigment
Answer: a) Cationic dye b) Anionic dye c) Pigment
Prizes

1. Best / first correct answer received will win one-year subscription to IPPTA Journal (Maximum one prize for one person in a year).


2. Best of the 12 monthly winners in a year, will win one-year subscription to Paper 360
0
Magazine, USA.


Customer at the bookshop : I want to buy a book on Love and Marriage
Bookshop Owner : Sir , that will be two separate books.
Marital Love



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