INTRODUCTION

Food packaging is just one among ways of food preservation for when food is been packaged, it is set for shipment and marketing. Food Technologist who must have a good knowledge of technology materials, labour equipment, money research, engineering and management is in any food-processing establishment. Particularly, food packages purposely protect the products from environment hazards throughout the period of the shelf life. Some industries can even be instituted purposely for food packaging. For these facts, every Food Technologist must acquire the knowledge of packaging principle and practice as to meet up with the specific requirement of food in order way to retain its quality, throughout the processing of storage and distribution and even specified the demands in which the food imposed on the packages. Though, it the sole responsibility of the specialist who can design and manufacture these packages. And because of that, the packages physically protect and maintain quality of the product, and it attracts the consumers and even be within an average at economic cost.

1.1       PACKAGING DEFINITION

It is an overall stages in production of product planning involving designing and producing the container or wrapper of the product. The following can serve as a definition of packaging. Packaging could also be an elaborated mattress where you sleep on and the sheets and blanket covering it came out from packaging.  Packaging also is likened to a cereal you have for breakfast and the milk and sugar on it, which in packages. Packaging materials are towels, soap toothpaste, colognes and lotion and the clothes you wear a you get ready to tale the days activities, all comes in packages. Food packaging materials could be defined as you go through the day nearly everything that you touch eat use or with which arrived in a package.

Food packaging   materials can be enlisted as common place such as intergal part of our existence which tends to take things for granted, ignoring their presence and contribution of our every daily lives. It is prescribed as military supplies; where more general sense, are purchased for the use of government agency services. It is also an embodiment of a dynamic of a center where people are socially engaged for the day. Packaging is explained as merely preserved food over a past few years which have become a tool of marketing operations.

1.2   HISTORY OF FOOD PACKAGING

An early man developed his own packaging technology by using leaves for wrapping purposes in Nigeria such as cocoyam, banana, and plantain and “uma” leaves. Again the skin of a goat for the first flexible packaging material in the environmental through transport of water and wine. Early containers were made by placating rushes or reeds and small wooden casks produced by methods similar to those used by coopers today which is evidenced.  Ancient Egyptians were masters of art of preservation and this is demonstrated in tombs of pharaohs, not only in the preservation of bodies but also on other materials. However, it is just beginning with modern packaging as original from industrial resolution changed the structure of society and concentrated through large members of people in the town, cities so altering their habits and creating a great demand for similar quantities of various products in large replications.

Today packaging must do much more than merely preserve food and over the past few years which have seen packaging more and more become a tool of marketing operation. It protects the meat product from microbial contamination’s, light, physical damage or chemical changes. Moreover a good job of packaging with the proper type of packing material may also enhance the appearance of the products and make I t more appealing to the consumers. It again has a multi-purpose functions for food product primary manufacturer protect the food product by keeping it  in good condition and preserve the flavour until it researchers the consumer. It is essentially suitable forms of packaging products to a finished level. Food material used for packaging must not contaminate the product. It must also be effective in preventing the products from deteriorating.

1.2.2        TYPES OF FOOD PACKAGING MATERIALS

(i)                 Foil – 0015 –

(ii)               Laminates

(iii)             Coasted sheets

(iv)             Films

(v)               Metals

(vi)             Plastics

(vii)           Traditional

(viii)         Industrial

i           Foil – 0015

ii          Laminates of one or more of the above materials

iii         Coasted sheets

iv         Films M.S.A.P (moisture resistant sealable anchors well to product, transparent)

v          Metals such as tin plate, tinfree steel and aluminum

vi         Plastics which including a variety of homogeneous films, coasted films, laminates with other plastics, papers or metals (eg aluminum)

vii        Papers, paperboardsm fiber boards

viii       Traditional. This cannot withstand rough handling but have no advertising potential and are not suitable in protecting the product in long distance distribution.

ix         Industrial:  This is where material is used for packaging of food widely by including cartons, cups boxes etc.

SELECTION OF PACKAGING MATERIALS

This depend intrinsically on natures and other properties of product and on the other consideration indicted above

1.2.3    FUNCTIONS OF FOOD PACKAGING CONTAINER OF PRODUCT  

Obviously, it act as a carrier by making it possible to move he product from the point where it is made to the point of final consumers. Examples are industrial gases, oxygen, propane carbondioxide and so on.

PERFORMANCE: Sometimes utility or convenience features in packaging where most people acquainted with convenience features in packaging.

COMMUNICATION: They must able to identify the product, inform the user, and motivated the consumer to buy the product, use it properly and purchase it again.

CONTAMINAION: It must keep the product clean and provide a barrier against dirt and other infection. It must provide protection of food against physical damage, moisture, oxygen and light etc.

SMOOTHLY: It’s efficiently and economically utilized on the packaging line during the actual operation of putting the food into the package. This means that it must be designed to run an already buy line for a purpose.

IDENTIFICATION: It provide an identity information and sales appeal. The retail which must sell what they protect as well as what they sell.

CONVENIENCE: Degree should be built into convenience design which will not only supply the ultimate consumer with, say an easy opening, closing but must provide convenience at its intermediate stage in handling through warehouse and transport during distribution.

1.3       ROLE OF FOOD PACKAGING

There container product for your inspection abound in nearly every store you go into. Again large portion of some industries go into packaging about 70% of all glass produced in the United State is used for packaging, most of it is for food and beverages. About half of he fiber products made in the U.S. today go into packaging, appearing as paper and paperboard packages and corrugated paperboard shipping containers for a board range of product. The dollar value of those materials is frequently estimated to worth well over 0 billion which means when its materials passes through further manufacturing    steps, and the value of others services.

1.3.1  THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD PACKAGING MATERIAL

1. An oxygen barrier (for frozen and cured meats not for fresh) most present oxygen to present lowering quality.

2. Moldable and pliable at low temperature

3. Flavorless and tasteless

4. Kesistant to scuffing and tearing

5. High …. Strength

6. Adequate of labeling

7. Time saving and also low price

8. Most barrier moisture more through in form of vapour. Generally good moisture vapour barriers are good oxygen barrier.

9. It must also prevent us with stripability and attractive.