Pioneering high barrier packaging for pressure assisted thermal sterilization of low-acid food products.

Pressure-assisted thermal sterilization (PATS) utilizes flexible packaging with low oxygen and water vapor transmission rates (OTRs, WVTRs). In this study, pouches made from metal oxide (MO)-coated (A-D) and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)-containing (E, F) multilayer films were filled with water and mashed potatoes (MP), preheated at 98 ± 0.5 °C for 10 min, and processed using a pilot-scale high-pressure processing machine (HPP) at 600 ± 5 MPa for 300 s.

Stability of vitamin C, color, and garlic aroma of garlic mashed potatoes in polymer packages processed with microwave-assisted thermal sterilization technology.

The U.S. Army and NASA need ready-to-eat meals with extended shelf-life for military operations and future manned space missions.

Development of an Oxygen Sensitive Model Gel System to Detect Defects in Metal Oxide Coated Multilayer Polymeric Films.

Metal oxide coated multilayered polymeric pouches provide a suitable alternative to foil-based packaging for shelf-stable products with extended shelf-life. The barrier performance of these films depends upon the integrity of the metal oxide coating which can develop defects as a result of thermal processing and improper handling. In this work, we developed a methodology to visually identify these defects using an oxygen-sensitive model gel system.