NEW GE ADVANCED MATERIALS RESIN FOR RETORT PACKAGING TRAYS ENABLES OEMS TO INCREASE RACK/SURGE CAPACITY; REDUCE SYSTEMS COSTS, TRAY BREAKAGE

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — A new thermoplastic alloy, designed for use in large retort packaging sterilization trays, offers OEMs the ability to increase rack/surge capacity for higher output, double service life, and lower systems costs, helping to improve productivity for food processors. Introduced today by
GE Advanced Materials, NORYL PPX® 615 resin – an alloy of polyphenylene ether (PPE) and polypropylene (PP) – is targeted at the large trays used to handle retort pouches during sterilization and conveyance due to its special balance of broad chemical resistance, excellent thermal and hydrolytic stability, and stiffness with ductility. The new material also offers good surface appearance, a wide processing window, and fast cycle times, all of which can help molders improve their bottom line.

Retort sterilization, invented in the early 19th century, uses superheated steam to cook food while killing pathogens. Today, this food-preservation method is most commonly used for MREs – a military acronym that means Meals Ready to Eat. MREs are highly portable, compact, and easy to prepare – no dishes or water are needed. While the entree may be eaten cold when necessary, it can also be heated in a variety of ways, including submersion in hot water while still sealed in its individual entree package.

Each portioned meal is enclosed in retort packaging, which consists of a heavy-duty multilayer pouch of aluminum and plastic laminate designed to maintain food quality under harsh storage and shipping conditions. Originally developed for military food use, MREs are now used by police, search and rescue teams, outfitters and outdoor enthusiasts, and for disaster preparedness kits. Retort packaging is also used for consumer products such as pet foods, and in non-food institutional sectors such as healthcare. Moreover, the multi-billion dollar retort pouch industry is growing.

The technical challenges of retort sterilization, however, can be sizeable. The process involves forcing steam at high pressure and temperatures up to 125C into a chamber containing rigid sterilization trays, stacked up to 13 high, in which the pouches sit for as long as 90 minutes. This requires that tray materials have excellent heat-distortion performance under load, as well as dimensional and hydrolytic stability, stiffness, and impact strength. Resistance to common foods and cleaning chemicals are also required properties since the trays must be cleaned after each use and may be exposed to cooking oils and other substances. Common tray materials are metals, wood, or plastics. However, metal trays are typically heavy and can oxidize; wood can be hard to clean and has a limited number of cycles; and, many plastics are limited in that they lack the sufficient mechanical properties needed to resist creep or warpage under the rigorous heat and humidity of retort conditions.

NORYL PPX 615 resin is GE Advanced Materials’ answer to these challenges and represents the newest addition to the company’s growing family of thermoplastic alloys characterized by their versatility, durability, cost-effectiveness, and new levels of design freedom. These products are available from the company in filled and unfilled resin grades and can replace materials such as olefins, ABS, nylon, wood, and metals in a variety of applications.

With NORYL PPX resin, GE Advanced Materials’ technologists have brought together two incompatible resins via a patent-pending alloying technology that incorporates PPE particles into a matrix of PP. The resulting material benefits from the low-temperature toughness, creep resistance, melt strength, aesthetics, and dimensional, hydrolytic, and thermal stability of the dispersed PPE phase. The alloy also gains broader chemical resistance, higher impact strength and flow, greater stiffness, and a lower specific gravity from the PP matrix. By varying the ratio of alloy constituents, new formulations can be tailored to meet different application requirements.

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