A new technology for manufacturing cheese and meat packages

For dairy derivatives industry, in its cheese, sausage and processed meat presentations, it is important that the packaging should powerfully draw consumers’ attention to the product’s features (color, freshness, texture) and, at the same time, guarantee airtightness and protect the product from humidity, oxygen, aromas and odors from the outside environment. In other words, it demands a package with exceptional optical properties, that guarantees food safety and also adding a highly specialized and constant technical support.

This is the reason that led us to talk at the X International Dairy Industry Congress about our WQ technology, one of the innovation bets made by Plastilene Group two years ago.

Our technical team answered the following questions based on congress attendees concerns.

What is the appeal of WQ technology?

Thanks to water-cooled extrusion in our Novalene production plant, we can manufacture films with higher mechanical properties and greater features such as:

• Flexibility – Thermoforming
• Puncture resistance
• Transparency and gloss

Compared to other solutions they have less variation in thickness (width) and curling.

Which films are in commercial stage?

High barrier WQ for cold meats, mature cheeses and fresh meats (pork and beef).

Medium barrier WQ for fresh cheese, frozen products (fish, especially in Peru and Ecuador).

Does it contribute to the sustainability of plastic? 

We are currently offering a thermoforming, flexible, barrier-free film to support fresh chicken industry replacing polystyrene trays. Thus, packaging would be technically recyclable, would retain its hermetic seal, would extend the shelf life of the product and would have better organoleptic features (taste, texture, smell, color or temperature).

What is the advantage of local production?

Since we are the sole producers in Colombia with WQ technology, our films are modifiable in gauges and widths, according to individual requirements. Also, we have inventories available in thickness and width of important consumption, which allows time saving and quick response.

An important difference compared to importing through a trader is that we are able to be close to our customers in terms of frequent and scheduled technical and commercial support.

With this technology, there are now four types of extrusion (blow molding, flat die, flat die PET film and water cooling) that we make available to dairy industry, in order to continue working for packaging solutions that extend shelf life and seek environmental sustainability.