Microbes, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapour, ethylene are the major culprits for damaging our freshly harvested or slaughtered food. A lot of research time of food scientists has been invested in curbing these culprits and limiting their actions. The latest to this buzz is the use of Active and Smart Packaging.
Active and Smart Packagings are fused with intelligence. Technically speaking active packaging – interacts with the internal environment through various techniques. It might work as absorbers, releasers, or selectively permeable to the gaseous atmosphere inside the packing.Smart Packaging has sensors which track and indicate the product quality, product age, and other information’s usually through visual indicators.Thus, serving us fresh, healthy and informative products.
Though these packaging was introduced with the aim of increasing the products shelf-life and protect the damage prone product, it has now become consumer driven facilitating information that is useful for the consumers. To sight an example of pharmaceuticals industry – Smart packaging is seen as a feasible way to help the elderly for their medicines compliance, reading small prints, indicate expiry through colour change among many other uses. In fact with the use of printed electronics the dosage and medicine taking procedures can also be monitored on real time basis.
Discussed below are some of the latest updates in the Industry -
DuPont Co. - DuPont Microcircuit Materials has recently come up with a new set of electronic inks that can be used on PVC, polystyrene, high density polyethylene and acrylics. The ink is said to cure rapidly at 80° C while those currently available in the market cure at 100° C to 140° C. This low temperature facilitates its use on low-cost resins packaging’s as sensors.
Stora Enso and NXP - Semiconductors N.V have collaborated to work on secured transfer of products through the supply chain and reach tamper proof to the customers.This intelligent packaging solution will be based on NXP’s RFID technology and is seen to benefit both the producers and the consumers with its innovative features.
Apple Inc. – Few months back the company’s patent application was published - “Personalization of Devices While Packaged”. This innovation will facilitate the users to load their customized settings without opening the packaging of their IPhones. Data will be transmitted thought the smart packaging by the use of Bluetooth or NFC (near-field communication).
Get more detailed research report at:
http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/206-active-smart-packaging-market-report
Industry players are working on to solve our age old problems not limited to food, pharmaceutical, and electronic products.This commotion in the active and smart packaging industry, which is in its early growth phase, is making it evident that future will show very encouraging innovations.
