Attention to Packaging in Packaged Foods!

IMPORTANCE OF PACKAGING IN PACKAGED FOODS The importance of food packaging is increasingly growing with the development of the industry. At this point, experts point out that correctly selected packaging can protect food from external factors, reduce quality losses and extend the product's shelf life. Experts noting that food packaging increased especially during the pandemic period emphasize that for food safety and hygiene, hands should be washed frequently when touching raw foods and during food preparation, attention should be paid to the cleanliness of surfaces and equipment in contact with food, and raw meat products should be kept separate from other food products. Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay, Head of the Food Technology Program at Üsküdar University School of Health Services Vocational Studies, and Dr. İsra Toptancı, Instructor at the School of Health Services Vocational Studies Food Technology Program, made some assessments on this subject. Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay noted that as the industry developed, a large portion of humanity moved away from agricultural areas and turned to largely processed and packaged foods to meet their nutrition needs, stating: "From this perspective, maintaining food quality, increasing safety and reducing post-harvest losses are the fundamental objectives of a sustainable food system. No matter how high the exit quality is in food production, if good protective technology is not applied, significant losses will occur in the quality characteristics that consumers perceive for that product. This also means energy and cost losses." he said. Impact of Correct Packaging on Product Shelf Life Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay, mentioning that packaging comes into play to prevent energy and cost losses and has a very important place in the food industry, stated: "In the food industry, packaging materials are used to protect food from microbial, physical and chemical contamination during storage and transportation stages, and for this reason they play a role as a mandatory element in food production. In the fresh and processed food industry, a wide variety of packaging materials and packaging formats are used to process, store and distribute fresh and processed food products from farm to consumer. In its most basic form, packaging is a system that preserves the product within it while maintaining its integrity, ensures continuity of product characteristics and provides information to the buyer about the product. Correctly selected packaging protects food from external factors, reduces quality losses and extends the product's shelf life." Emphasizing that food packaging is one of the most important issues in the sector, Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay stated: "The primary function of packaging is to deliver raw products or unprocessed fresh products to the consumer in the desired quality by preserving their post-processing characteristics after they are harvested and after cutting."

Attention to Food and Packaging Interaction!

Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay noted that food packaging, depending on the chemical properties of the packaging material and food, packaging and storage temperature, UV light exposure and product storage duration, the packaging material can interact with the food, and said that unwanted situations occur as a result of food and packaging interaction. Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay listed these as corrosion, sulfur staining and migration. Corrosion: In tin packaging, these are the main changes that cause quality loss in food and restrict shelf life. Here discoloration, odor and taste deterioration occur in the food. These are processes where fats with high fat content, especially those containing unsaturated fatty acids, undergo rapid oxidation with oxygen. Sulfur staining: Especially products with high protein content, when canned in lacquerless or porous lacquered cans, brown, black and dark blue spots form on the inner surface of the can. In both cases, the outer surface of the can should be lacquered, attention should be paid to the amount of tin coating and damage to the tin layer from scratching should be prevented. Migration: This interaction causes contamination from the packaging material in contact with food to the food and from food to packaging. The important point here is which food will come into contact with which packaging material at what temperature and for how long. Associate Professor Dr. Salih Tuncay listed his recommendations as follows: "-Food packaging should be made of material that will not interact with food. -If food is sensitive to light, the light transmittance of the packaging material should be low. -If the food is sensitive to gas and the food is packaged in modified atmosphere, the gas impermeability property of the packaging material should be high. -Again, if the food is sensitive to moisture or if it is desired to preserve the moisture content of the food, it should create a barrier against moisture and vapor permeability." Food Packaging Increased During the Pandemic Period Dr. İsra Toptancı noted that demand for ready-to-eat and packaged foods increased during the pandemic, stating: "People have started to prefer packaged products more because they now think they are more hygienic and reliable. Food packaging has increased. A prominent example of this is bread, a basic food commodity. In particular, packaging with lock-top systems has attracted more attention from consumers. Sensitivity in society regarding preventing direct hand contact with food has gradually increased, and the food industry has adopted packaging techniques for this purpose. The most prominent indicator of this during the pandemic period was that fruits and vegetables sold by weight in markets were bagged and sold as kilogram packages, limiting consumers' ability to select and purchase by hand." she said. Dr. İsra Toptancı noted that the view that food transmission is very low among the transmission routes of Covid disease is a widespread opinion, stating: "Its pathogenic effect is very low. The disease's most common and fastest transmission is through respiratory routes in places with high viral load. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated that studies are being followed and there is no evidence that food is a possible source or transmission route for the virus."

Important Warnings for Food Safety

Based on statements made by the FDA and WHO, Dr. İsra Toptancı listed the basic hygiene rules to be followed for ensuring food safety in protection from the pandemic as follows: "-Hands should be washed frequently when touching raw foods and during food preparation. -Attention should be paid to the cleanliness of surfaces and equipment in contact with food. -Raw meat products should be kept separate from other food products, food should be cooked at appropriate temperature (at least 72°C) and should be cooled immediately without being left at room temperature for long periods, consumption of raw or undercooked products should be avoided.

Packaging Selection Should Be Based on Food Type

Dr. İsra Toptancı also explained the errors made in food packaging as follows: "The most important problem in food packaging is that food packaging/packing is not done according to food type. The most basic reason for this is using every packaging for every type of food without paying attention to the packaging declaration or the usage area stated on its label. For example, while PVC films are not suitable for contact with fatty foods, the upper portions of fatty foods are being packaged with PVC films. Again, when aluminum foils come into contact with acidic foods, aluminum migration is detected in very high amounts. Therefore, when using packaging, the criteria specified in the suitability declarations/labels regarding which food it will contact and for how long and at what temperature should be taken into account."