83B-2 |
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V. SIVARAMAKRISHNA and M. A. Pascall. Dept. of Food Science & Technology, Ohio State Univ., 2015 Fyffe Ct., 110 Parker Food Science Bldg., Columbus, OH 43210-1007 Seal quality inspection for brick-type packages is a manual and time consuming process. The development of a system that can automate this process and also provide online inspection for PET bottles would bring major advantages to the food industry. This study evaluated the use of a pressure differential system designed for offline monitoring of the seal quality of 355 mL brick-type packages and with the ability to perform online leak detection in 1775 mL PET bottles. This evaluation was done by doing the following efficiency testing of the pressure differential equipment: (1) leak size identification in sample packages by challenging the equipment with leaks measuring 0.006 to 0.02 inch in diameter; (2) the ability of the equipment to identify seals made in the sample packages with different sealing strengths and (3) correlate the efficiency of the equipment with the results of drop test analyses on sealed PET bottles. The results for these tests show that: (1) the minimum leak detection for brick-type packages and PET bottles was 0.008 inch; (2) the leak tester categorized seals fabricated at less than 20 in-lb torque for 2.3 seconds at high voltage as rejects and (3) drop test analyses showed that the mean failure height (MFH) for the PET bottles was 42.9 inches. Optimum induction sealing condition for the PET bottles was found to be greater than 20 in-lb torque for 2.3 seconds with the induction sealer set at high voltage. The results of this study can be used to estimate the efficiency of similar non-destructive leak testers in a commercial environment and to develop a time saving alternative methods for sealing quality analyses of brick-type packages and PET bottles.
Session 83B, Food Packaging: Applications of edible coatings, antimicrobial films, and sensors in food packaging
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