When pets enter more and more families, people are not only thinking about how to establish a good relationship with pets, but also actively exploring the health issues of pet food. Compared with dry pet food that is easy to store, wet pet food is mainly composed of poultry meat and viscera, starch, fruits and vegetables, and grain raw materials. It is rich in protein and has a higher moisture content (usually 32% to 75%), and the product deteriorates. The risk is also greater.

So, what kind of packaging technology can keep pet wet food for several months or even twenty months? This journal was fortunate to visit Eka Packaging, which has more than ten years of experience in pet packaging production, and interviewed Max Loh (Luo Shengwei), general manager of the company's China region, and got the answer from it.

Food safety wall built by high-barrier hard plastic packaging

In China, the packaging of pet wet food is mainly in tin cans, some of which are flexible, and a few are in rigid plastic packaging. According to Max, one of the reasons is that some consumers project the inherent impression that ordinary plastics are "cheap and unsafe" on all plastic packaging. However, in the United States, where the pet food market is mature, rigid plastic packaging products account for at least 1/3. The packaging is novel, lightweight and safe, which avoids the risk of cutting pets’ tongues and mouths when feeding in tin cans, and is especially favored by high-end brands. .

So, what is the secret of the popular high-barrier rigid plastic packaging?

The first is the selection of packaging materials. "Polypropylene (PP) has good fluidity and thermal stability, the decomposition temperature is about 310℃, and the molding performance is good. It can meet the requirements of packaging molding processing and high-temperature sterilization of the contents." Max said, "EVOH acts as a barrier for packaging. It can avoid the problem of odor leakage in the contents, and the shelf life can even be as long as three years." It is worth mentioning that all the raw materials used by Eka Pupa meet the requirements of the US FDA, which undoubtedly lays a solid foundation for food safety. .

Taking the production of ordinary PP/EVOH/PP retortable cups as an example, different raw materials are co-extruded into multiple layers to form a sheet, which is processed into a high-barrier rigid plastic packaging container through a thermoforming process. And Eka Pupai's technical advantages are outstanding in the key aspects of raw material technology, machine performance, mold design and formula. For example, the use of FEA analysis technology can simulate the deformation of the package containing the contents during the high-temperature sterilization process at 121°C for 30 minutes, which is convenient for packaging design engineers to adjust the container based on this.

With the support of excellent technology, the multi-layer high barrier packaging container can not only protect the product from oxygen, moisture, microorganisms and light, but also greatly extend the shelf life of the contents. It can also reduce or even eliminate the additives in the product formula. It is easy to open. Eating, safe and not hurting hands... In addition, the company has obtained ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, food safety system certification FSSC22000 5.0, hazardous analysis and critical control point (HACCP) certification.

Familiar with the habits and details of consumers and pets when using wet food products is another magic weapon for Eka Pupai. Max, for example, said that packaging containers with an outer diameter of 76mm and a depth of 26-36mm are more suitable for cats' mouth-sized meals; large, medium and small dogs have mouth sizes ranging from 75-100mm, so containers with an outer diameter of 120*90mm are more suitable. In order to fit...The design of the sealing surface with cup shoulders facilitates the stacking of containers and reduces the floor space of storage.

Surprisingly, the role of packaging is not just to build a safety wall for food. Thanks to the design of the Liancup, consumers and pets have more interaction and mutual affection in the crisp sound. Increase quietly. It turns out that feeding pets is also a happy thing!