Making Packaging Safe and Effective with UCAR™ Solution Vinyl Resins
UCAR™ solution vinyl resins from Dow have been
used in inks and packaging for foods, beverages
and pharmaceuticals for more than 30 years.
Safety has always been a concern of the food and pharmaceutical industries. And such concern only has grown stronger. This is especially true recently with a heightened focus on food safety by regulatory agencies and consumers, which has spurred interest among many manufacturers for safer solutions and improvements.
"Manufacturers not only must assure consumers and industry about the preparation process and the ingredients of the products themselves, but also the packaging they use," says Wells Carter from Dow's technical service and development group.
"As manufacturers look for safer solutions and higher standards for product integrity, they should consider UCAR™ solution vinyl resins from Dow," he adds. "These materials have been used in both direct food contact and pharmaceutical packaging for several decades."
Examples of packaging using UCAR™ solution vinyl resins include coatings for aluminum foil lids for yogurt containers, pharmaceutical and chewing gum blister packs and lid seals, and inks for retortable packaging pouches.
Proven Track Record
The pharmaceutical industry first turned to blister packaging in the early seventies to improve safety through better dosage control and tamper resistance. The packaging companies used a variety of materials to form the plastic trays and the foil. Finding a material for the adhesive tie layer, however, proved a little trickier.
In almost every instance, the answer was the same. Package developers turned to UCAR™ solution vinyl resins. They provide ideal adhesive properties for these applications - something anyone who's ever pushed a capsule through a foil blister pack can attest to. In addition, the resins are permanently flexible, making the packages more user-friendly and easier to open.
"Currently, no other material offers the benefits found in adhesives formulated with solution vinyl resins," says Carter. "We have provided product to formulators serving the food and pharmaceutical packaging industry for more than 30 years. In that time, we have seen no adverse effects resulting from the use of these resins. They have been proven a safer and more effective alternative than other adhesives in these applications time and time again."
Moreover, the resins are virtually odorless, tasteless and colorless. They are resistant to a wide variety of chemicals, solvents, water and aqueous solutions, food products, greases and oils, making them suitable for a wide variety of food packaging applications.
Continued Commitment to Safer and Effective Packaging
The same solution remains in place today. Dow offers several UCAR™ solution vinyl resins that meet the requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Union and the German Public Health Agency (BGA) for use in direct contact with food, as well as comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
"UCAR solution vinyl resins are of very high purity," Carter explains. "And because no water-soluble suspending agents or surfactants are used in our proprietary manufacturing process, the water and retort resistance is outstanding."
Water and retort resistance is one of the reasons why ink manufacturers also use UCAR solution vinyl resins. This characteristic helps inks based on UCAR solution vinyl resins from degrading during the sterilization process. Other advantages of these resins for ink producers include fast dry, low migration and ease of use.
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™* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow.
