Food PVC stretch film
Food PVC stretch film is designed for initial packaging of foodstuffs in food industry and fast-food chains. It is used for packing lump meat, poultry, culinary food, fish, vegetables, confectionery and bakery.
There are two types of food films: polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyethylene ones.
There is no clear differentiation between functional usage of these two materials, however, a PVC film has a number of advantages over a polyethylene film:
- high transparency and gloss;
- high mechanical strength and optimum stretchability;
- selective permeability and anti-fog property combined with high level of sanitary and hygienic properties;
- increased resistance to fats;
- resistance to hostile environment;
- sufficient rigidity of the material;
- ability to pack products with the temperature up to 70C.
- ability to heat the packed product in microwave ovens.
PVC film is called a “breathing film, because it possesses a unique property to selectively pass air components through its surface: it lets out water vapor and carbon dioxide, while passing oxygen inside. The film prevents bacteria from reproducing in the packed product.
Besides, the products in this packaging do not dry up , preserve their original appearance and taste longer, in comparison with package in a polyethylene or polypropylene film.
Thus, the microclimate created by gases and water vapor emitted by fruit and vegetables allow to keep them fresh for longer period, and bakery does not stale and grow musty in this film for 4-6 days in this film. At the same time, the fragrance of newly-baked products freely spreads outside.
PVC film is also ideal for packing raw meat and meat products, because first, permeability to oxygen and carbon dioxide allows to preserve meat for a long period of time, second, it prevents moisture frosting on the film while keeping in the freezer, which allows to keep the appearance and freshness of the product.
The process of packing into stretch film can be performed both manually and automatically, by means of automatic and semiautomatic machines. The stretch film is conventionally classified into the
film for manual packaging, having thickness up to 10 micron, and the film for machine packaging having thickness of 14 micron. As a rule the length of the film in a reel amounts to 1500 m. The most
commonly used film has width from 300 to 450 mm.