The main advantages of using aluminum foil in food packaging include:
Moisture and gas barrier: Aluminum foil is highly impermeable to moisture, oxygen and other gases, which can effectively prevent dry foods from absorbing moisture from air and fresh foods from oxidizing.
Heat resistance: Aluminum foil has excellent heat resistance up to 220°C without deformation or melting. It can well maintain the taste, flavor and nutrition of foods during various heating processes like cooking, roasting and retorting.
Easy to print and process: Aluminum foil has a smooth surface that allows direct printing with various inks. It can also be laminated or coated with other materials to achieve special functions.
Recyclable: Aluminum foil is fully recyclable and can be remelted and reused, showing great value in resources saving and environment protection.
Until now, aluminum foil has been extensively used in the flexible packaging of a wide range of foods, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and other industrial materials, as well as snacks, baked goods, candies, and fast food.
Properties and application of 8079 aluminum foil
8079 aluminum foil is a common grade of aluminum foil used in food flexible packaging. Here are some key properties and applications of 8079 aluminum foil:
Chemical composition and thickness
The chemical composition of 8079 aluminum foil meets the requirements of GB/T 9774 aluminum foil for packaging. Its main components are Al 96%-99%, Si≤1%, Fe≤0.5%.
The thickness of 8079 aluminum foil is usually 7-12 μm. Different packaging requirements determine the selection of thickness. Foils thinner than 7 μm are generally not suitable due to insufficient strength, while foils thicker than 12 μm will increase material cost and foil weight.
High brightness and printability
8079 aluminum foil has a high brightness of 70%-75% after brightening treatment, showing good luster and gloss. It serves as an excellent carrier for printing logos, trademarks, instructions and nutritional labels with high definition.
Good formability and heat sealing property
8079 aluminum foil has excellent forming and elastic recovery properties. It can be well shaped into various packaging forms through vacuum molding, pressure molding or combined processes. The foil also has good heat sealing performance and can form a sealing seam with a seal strength over 5N/15mm through commercial high frequency or thermal conduction sealers.
Barrier to moisture, oxygen and flavors
Benefiting from aluminum material and dense atomic structure, 8079 aluminum foil has outstanding barrier against moisture (WVT<1 g/m2/24h), oxygen (OTR<1 cm3/m2/24h/atm) and flavors. It can well maintain the original quality of foods.
Heat resistance up to 220°C
8079 aluminum foil maintains integrity and bonding properties after heating treatments below 220°C. This heat resistance endows it with outstanding application advantages in various heating processes of food production and packaging like thermal sterilization of retort pouches.
Recyclability
Upon disposal after use, 8079 aluminum foil can be easily sorted and recycled. The recovered aluminum is recycled to manufacture new aluminum products, thereby achieving resource circulation.
In summary, 8079 aluminum foil has become the most versatile metal material for flexible food packaging due to the above excellent properties and wide adaptability to lamination, printing, sealing and other processing technologies. Typical applications include packaging of snacks, baked foods, instant noodles, biscuits, chocolates and freeze-dried food.
Development and application of laminated 8079 aluminum foil
To satisfy diverse packaging requirements and endow aluminum foil with multi-functions, lamination technology has been developed to combine aluminum foil with other packaging materials. Here are some common laminated structures with 8079 aluminum foil:
Aluminum foil - Plastic film laminate
The combination of aluminum foil and plastic film like BOPP, CPP, PE, etc. through lamination utilizes their respective barrier advantages. It overcomes shortcomings of sole use of plastic film as well as improves formability, processability, printing effects of sole aluminum foil. This laminate is widely used in packaging of snacks, drinks, frozen food, fresh meat and produce.
Aluminum foil – Paper laminate
Aluminum foil adhered to paperboard through lamination alleviates paper fragility while paper provides printable surface and enhances product appearance. Such laminate has broad application in takeaway food packaging, food labeling and advertisement. It realizes long-distance transport and protects food from compression damage.
Coextruded aluminum foil
By using coextrusion lamination, aluminum foil is combined with a thin layer of degradable plastic film on one or two sides to form coextruded aluminum foil. This type of laminate inherits excellent moisture barrier of aluminum while adding heat-sealability and printability from plastic layer. It shows great application in everyday snacks and chocolate packaging.
Composite aluminum foil
Complex composite aluminum foil is produced by extrusion coating of EVOH, nylon or other high barrier materials onto aluminum foil. Compared with sole aluminum foil, it demonstrates better moisture barrier, oxygen barrier as well asENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE in Food Packaging gas barrier and mechanical properties. Typical usage includes packaging of nuts, dried fruits, crisps and biscuits.
Barrier aluminum foil
Barrier aluminum foil refers to aluminum foil laminated or coated with special high barrier materials like SiOx or AlOx to significantly improve moisture, gas and mineral oil barrier performance through chemical or physical deposition. This ultra-high barrier aluminum foil has extensive application in sensitive food packaging that requires high barrier such as cake, bread and infant formula.
In conclusion, aluminum foil plays an indispensable functional role in the enjoyment of shisha and hookah smoking sessions around the world. While simple in appearance, understanding proper foil selection and placement techniques helps maximize flavor and vapor from shisha tobacco while safely shielding it from direct heat exposure. With minor care and maintenance practices, foil ensures a consistent premium smoking experience each and every time.
