Canadian bag‐in‐box wine under distribution channel abuse: material fatigue, flexing simulation and total closure/spout leakage investigation

Bag-in-box (BIB) is a convenient means of wine transportation. One of the materials commonly used, metallized polyester (Met.Pet), has good oxygen barrier properties. However, little is known of the effect of handling and transportation of the BIB on O2 permeation of the flexible material and the tap under a Canadian distribution system. Our objectives were to characterize the damages to the BIB after actual transportation and distribution, correlate with a standard method for mechanical damage (Gelbo flex cracking) and validate a new capture cell design for the measurement of O2 leakage from the tap (valve and neck). Damage to Met.Pet occurred mainly near the edges and around the tap. Oxygen transmission rate ranged from 2.45 to 4.99 cm3/m2·d·atm for routes of 414–809 km, with storage times of 3–8.1 months. Storage time (r2 = 0.83; p < 0.01) was a much better predictor of damage than distance covered (r2 = 0.33; NS at α = 0.05), with respect to O2 permeation. Wear simulation using the Gelbo flex test was significantly related to O2 transmission rate (p < 0.01) and was a suitable film pre-selection method. Converting permeation values back to an equivalent number of cycles (DMZE) shows that minimum damage measured on BIB represents about 43 flexing cycles. Up to 60% of total O2 ingress in BIB is caused by the tap, an element overlooked by actual standards. 10–16% of tap permeation was due to the neck and valve–neck interface, and the snugness of the fit was particularly sensitive to temperature under our experimental conditions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.