DESIGN OF PLASTIC MULTI-LAYER STRUCTURE THAT FIT THE REQUIREMENTS OF A SPECIFIC FOOD OR BEVERAGE

This paper presents a model that allows the determination of the permeability values of plastic multi - layer structures that may be coextruded, extrusion coated or laminated that fit the requirements of a specific food or beverage. The model includes the use of several data bases like plastic permeability data, food and beverage data related to maximum gain or loss of gases and plastic raw material costs. The computational algorithm combines automatically different polymers predicting possible multi – layer structures based on adhesion criteria, maximum number of layers and the achievement of food requirements. The different calculation routines in the model include pressure, temperature and relative humidity corrections, change of units, among others. The model predicted permeability values are compared against measured multi -–layer structures for several barrier films, specifically, OTR and WVTR values.