Potato chips are among the most convenient snack options around the world. Potato chips only require potatoes, oil, and salt as the basic ingredients. The market provides these products readily, making chips a very suitable business to venture into for profits. However, just like any other business, potato chip packaging also faces many challenges such as sustainable packaging challenges, increased cost of raw materials, changes in packaging technology, and production efficiency, etc.
This post highlights the basic potato chips packaging solutions that are most suitable and safe for packaging chips. Buckle up as we dive in.
As a potato chips lover, you may have noticed that potato chips packaging has air in it. The air is usually nitrogen-sealed in to prevent the chips from spoiling. Nitrogen is an inert gas, meaning it will not react with the contents inside a packaging, making it an appropriate packaging gas. Nitrogen is used for many packaging solutions, and potato chips are not left out. Nitrogen packaging works through a process called nitrogen flush packaging.
So how does this process work? In simple terms, nitrogen displaces oxygen from the packaging before it is sealed. Oxygen is the mastermind behind food spoilage through oxidation and microorganisms’ growth that contribute to food spoilage. Moreover, there are other several reasons for using nitrogen as a potato packaging solution; they are as follows;
Potato chips are commonly packaged in bags or pouches and cans, depending on the manufacturer and packaging company. These packaging each have unique features and benefits to the food. Below is an overview of the different packaging materials.
Potato chip bags are mostly made of plastic materials. It is usually made in layers to offer additional protection and functionality to the packaging. The polymer material is commonly BOPP, LDPE, and surlyn put in layers with different functions. BOPP functions as moisture and oil-resistant preventing any moisture from reaching the chips while preventing the oil from the chips from penetrating the packaging.
LDPE and Surlyn offer additional assistance to BOPP in oil resistance and also serve as protection from breakages. And the packaging is made to open easily.
Cans are a very common way of snacks packaging, especially potato chips. Cans are made of various materials like paper, steel, tins, aluminum, and so on. Packaging companies will choose the material depending on the type of food to be packaged. Why are cans suitable for potato chips packaging? Cans have suitable features and benefits for snacks packaging; they are as follows;
Potato chips containers such as cans utilize nitrogen in chips packaging. Nitrogen can seamer machine has the following components;
There are two major types; semi-automatic chip packing machines and automatic chip packing machines.
A semi-auto chip packing machine is a nitrogen can sealing machine that is both machine and manual operated. Semi-automatic machines are efficient, although they are limited in some aspects necessitating manual handling of the sealing process. For instance, the machine cannot adjust to the size of the packaging container meaning the operator will have to adjust the machine themselves.
Semi-auto chip packing machines have some benefits like; they are inexpensive to acquire than the automatic machine and consume less power meaning fewer electricity expenses. Although they are beneficial, they also have some drawbacks; they are not faster than automatic machines. Due to this reason, most packaging companies will prefer the automatic machine since it will save both time and money in the long run.
The fully automatic chips packaging machine, on the other hand, is a gem in the industry. The machine can handle high-volume operations without wearing off. Automatic nitrogen can seamer machines do not need human intervention; you simply adjust the settings and let them do all the work. Automatic machines have several advantages;
Even with a higher purchasing cost than semi-automatic, the benefits outweigh the cost. The machine will eventually save you money through faster, efficient operations plus minimal wastage of materials.
The packaging industry is a necessary sector in our economy. In any shopping mall or store, every product is packaged; this shows that the products are safe for consumption and use. In the food industry, the packaging is vital to prevent any contamination of the food. Levapack is a packaging industry with experience in different sectors, and for snacks like potato chips, our packaging solutions are the best.
Reach out to us for more information about food packaging, especially potato chips packaging. We work with other businesses to realize their vision in potato chips packaging. Don’t be left out.