New low gassing cheese bag increases output, says Sealed Air

The OSB 4550 shrink bag, claims Sealed Air Cyrovac, is a new addition to its cheese curing bag range and is suitable for both industrial and consumer unit packaging. The Cryovac curing system involves the direct packing of the semifinished cheese into a bag, which is then vacuumized and shrinked for a storage and curing time of six months or more. Sealed Air Product Line Manager, Andreas Kleyer, told FoodProductionDaily.com that the OSB 4550 provides higher yields and consistency of product quality than the more labour intenstive traditional curing process through its improved sealability and a raw material blend that enables better resistance to abrasion and puncture. Sealability​ According to Kleyer, the new crease and fold seal features of the OSB 4550 allows a machine operator to overlap the material during the sealing and vacuum process, thus enabling a higher output rate on vacuum chamber machines. "In production facilities, where the bag surface can be wet or contaminated with brine, the integrity of the OSB seals is very high,"​ claims Kleyer. High output​ He said that, depending on the machine configuration and the product size, a packaging speed of up to 60 packs a minute can be achieved using the OSB 4550 bag. Processors can order clear or standard colour bags that are either plain, printed or pigmented, with an end or side seal, said Kleyer. He claims the bag is capable of running on the full range of Cryovac VR and VS vacuum lines as well as BL loaders. He added that the OSB 4550 bag, which has a thickness level of 55 microns, has excellent gloss and clarity to improve pack presentation as well as exceptional shrink properties to reduce material waste. Zip packs​ Meanwhile, another recent development in cheese packaging offers processors high-speed resealable flow-wrap production, according to its manufacturer. PFM Packaging says that its new BG2800 Zip machine has been designed to cater for growing demand for resealable packaging amidst retailer concerns over shelf life and consumer pressure for greater product differentiation. The manufacturer claims that it had previously used zip applicators for vertical machinery that packages more free-flowing products such as grated cheese and pastas, and has expanded the focus for both intermittent and continuous motion packs. This feature is particularly important for cheese packaging, which must often cover fixed-weight products that may vary slightly in portion size and shape, the manufacturer added. The machine is able to hermetically seal three sides of the container material before applying a longitude zip along the remaining area at an output rate of up to 150 packs per minute, the company said. Standard 'pillow' and 'easy pack' sealing is also possible through the system.