Effect of Pasteurization and Retort Processing on Spectral Characteristics,Morphological, Thermal,Physico‐Mechanical,Barrier and Optical Properties of Nylon‐Based Food Packaging Materials

The effect of pasteurization and retort processing on spectral, morphological, thermal, physico‐mechanical, barrier and optical properties of three different packaging materials viz., PP/N6/PP, PET/N6/cPP and SiO_x‐PET/N6/cPP were studied. These packaging materials were packed with distilled water, which acted as a food simulant. Subsequently, these pouches were subjected to different thermal processing conditions such as pasteurization and retort processing. Both the processing techniques found to have retained the mechanical properties of all packaging materials. Water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of nylon‐based combinations were increased after processing. Gloss found to decrease invariably irrespective of the material and increases with the severity of the treatment. XRD diffractogram shows changes in crystal structure as a result of thermal processing, and SEM analysis shows the crystal fragmentation. Absorption of water by the amide group of nylon 6 was observed, which could be a reason for the increase in OTR and WVTR. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.