Laboratory testing shows the latest addition to BASF Corp.'s line of Uvinul ultraviolet light stabilizers gives superior flavor and color protection to food products in PET packaging, a company official said.
In a technical presentation at the 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers Antec conference in Milwaukee, BASF Market Development Manager Greg Coughlin said Uvinul S-Pack, unveiled at K 2007, has potential applications in a variety of PET packaging, especially for sports drinks and juices.
He said testing of the resin additive has shown it substantially prolongs shelf life of products packaged in PET compared to those packaged in glass or untreated PET.
Bottles made with Uvinul S-Pack kept beta carotene from degrading for 36 days, compared to 22 days for glass and 13 days for plain PET, Coughlin said. Uvinul S-Pack bottles kept a vitamin A supplement intact for 49 days, compared to seven days for both untreated PET and glass, he said. In practical terms, using the additive could save food manufacturers serious money, Coughlin said.
``A common practice in the industry has been to overdose active ingredients or vitamins to ensure that after a period of time a certain amount of vitamin is still present. This new protective material can reduce that practice,'' he said.
In the lab, PET bottles containing the UV absorber resisted yellowing when exposed to UV light better than untreated bottles and they kept red food coloring from fading during a 65-hour UV exposure, Coughlin said.
BASF Corp. showed off a variety of its products at the adjacent Plastics Encounter trade show, which ran May 4-8, along with Antec. Those included its Uvinul 5050 H UV light stabilizer for polyolefin films; and its Black Olive, Firemist, Lumina and Mearlite effect pigments.
Florham Park, N.J.-based BASF Corp. is the North American affiliate of BASF AG in Germany. The company had sales of approximately $16.4 billion in 2007.