The Institute of Agricultural Chemistry and Food Technology of Valencia, Spain, won a prize at an international packaging and canning exhibition in Barcelona for replacing traditional metal canned packaging with polymeric materials.

 

"This new material can cut off the way air, sunlight, moisture or other microorganisms enter the container," says Josep Toradas, a Spanish expert at DuPont. Canned goods packaged in new plastic can extend the shelf life of foods, such as canned cream soup, for up to a year.

 

Ramon Catala, a promoter of the technology at the Valencia Institute of Agricultural Chemistry and Food Technology, said: "We have made a lot of important achievements in the laboratory, but only when we are in the actual production stage can we prove that this material can compete with the canned products on the market today." At present, Heinz has adopted this polymeric material instead of traditional canned metal packaging.

 

Catala pointed out that "there is no ideal canned material. From a hygienic standpoint, the best material should be glass, but its disadvantage is that it can not resist sunlight.