Barrier Coating for Food Packaging
To ensure the safety, quality, and protect consumers’ health, food packaging must be reliable and consumer friendly. For a paper-based food packaging product to be successful, it must be coated to perform additional functions. The most common functions of coatings are barrier or release.
Barrier or Release
Barrier coatings help keep moisture and oils inside of the packaging or keep moisture or oxygen out of the packaging. Coating on a bakery box, for example, should be able to contain oil and grease inside the box, while coating on a paper cup should be able to keep fluids inside the cup. Products such as single-use seasoning packets should be able to keep out oxygen.
The release function of a coating is similarly straightforward, referring to the ability to easily and cleanly release paper from food products. A frozen food tray, for instance, should prevent food and seasonings from sticking to it. Other conditions, such baking bread or cupcakes, also fall under the release classification.
Solutions from Sierra
As a key supplier of packaging solutions for several major food brands, Sierra Coating Technologies LLC has been proudly providing companies with high-quality, reliable coatings for years. Over time, we’ve seen various shifts in coating requirements and consumer demands.
Paper coatings were traditionally composed of either wax or specialized poly blends. While these types of coatings are still very common, the food industry as a whole is starting to move to newer options as consumer demands rise for eco-friendly packaging solutions and more brand owners maintain “sustainability scorecards” for their packaging. As alternative options become more accessible, new advances in paper coating technologies are allowing companies to move away from traditional wax and poly coatings.
Sierra Coating has been at the forefront of these changes. Through our work with clients, as well as our own research and development efforts, Sierra has created a number of FDA-approved paper coatings for the food packaging industry, including a barrier-coated paper that allows for high-quality printing.
Industry-Leading Coatings for Packages
By creating industry-leading coatings for water, oil, or oxygen — including coating solutions that use up to 30% less material than traditional poly extrusions — Sierra has helped food-packaging printers maintain a competitive edge in today’s changing landscape. With certified recyclability and repulpability options, our coatings also satisfy consumers’ mounting sustainability concerns.
To learn more about our capabilities, or to talk with an expert about how Sierra Coating can help with your food packaging needs, contact us today.