" These videos show some of the many techniques that are available to industry. For example, burst testing is a way of testing seal strength in retort pouches and lidded trays, whilst peel testing assesses the force required to peel a lid from a container. Compression testing evaluates the load bearing strength of packaging - including cartons, boxes and plastic pots - to ascertain their ability to withstand stacking and other compression forces during distribution and storage. Internal pressure resistance is important with for bottles for carbonated drinks, to determine the pressure that they can safely withstand when they are filled.

As well as tests to determine packaging strength, it is also important to evaluate packaging to see if it has been compromised, for example via leak detection. This is particularly applicable to plastic packaging, for which permeability analysis is also regularly employed. This tests the rate at which gases (such as oxygen) or water vapour pass through packaging materials - an important consideration when the barrier properties are designed to maintain a protective atmosphere or prevent dehydration of the product."

The videos complement the many other packaging-related services available at Campden BRI, which include chemical analyses of packaging migrants, microscopic evaluation of packaging structure (e.g. for metal cans), and research into consumers' perception of packaging issues. We also hold a number of training-related events, the latest of which looks at food contact materials (see www.campden.co.uk/food-contact-seminar.htm).