The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current packaging systems, e.g. active packaging and intelligent packaging, for various foods. Active packaging, such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), extends the shelf life of fresh produce, provides a high-quality product, reduces economic losses, including those caused by delay of ripening, and improves appearance. However, in active packaging, several variables must be considered, such as temperature control and different gas formulations with different product types and microorganisms. Active packaging refers to the incorporation of additive agents into packaging materials with the purpose of maintaining or extending food product quality and shelf life. Intelligent packaging is emerging as a potential advantage in food processing and is an especially useful tool for tracking product information and monitoring product conditions. Moreover, intelligent packaging facilitates data access and information exchange by altering conditions inside or outside the packaging and product. In spite of these advantages, few of these packaging systems are commercialized because of high cost, strict safety and hygiene regulations or limited consumer acceptance. Therefore more research is needed to develop cheaper, more easily applicable and effective packaging systems for various foods.
The
integration of electrochromic (EC) and thermochromic (TC) systems
is important for realizingmultifunctional smart windows, which can
adaptively control light transmittance and solar energy in response
to diverse external stimuli. In this study, we developed an all-solid-state
multifunctional smart window, in which tungsten oxide (WO3)-based EC and vanadium oxide (VO2)-based TC cells
were integrated into a single device. In hybrid smart windows, the
WO3-based EC layer modulates optical transmission in response
to electrical voltage, while the VO2-based TC layer
regulates solar energy transmission responding to the surrounding
temperature. Therefore, such windows can control optical
transmission and solar energy transmission in response
to an electric stimulus and temperature change simultaneously or independently,
allowing for a selective modulation of light in the visible and near-infrared
regions. We demonstrated the viability of the proposed integrated
smart window system by varying its optical transmission in four different
optical states depending on its EC reaction and TC behavior. The concept
for the integration of EC and TC cells into a single device can pave
the way for next-generation multifunctional smart window systems.
Since most goods are transported and stored in a unit-load form in today’s global supply chain, there has been a growing concern regarding the compression strength of corrugated paperboard boxes for packaging of agricultural products. The best predictor of the compression strength of corrugated boxes is the edgewise compression test (ECT) value; therefore, its efficient measurement or prediction is crucial for the design of more efficient corrugated boxes for food and agricultural and industrial products. This study investigated the edgewise compression behavior (load vs. displacement plot, ECT, and failure mechanism) of corrugated paperboard based on different types of testing standards and flute types using finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental analysis. The results of this study showed that the magnitude of the ECT values produced by the FEA was different from the values produced by the experiment. The difference in the ECT can be possibly explained by layer thickness approximations, together with glue line width assumptions between fluting and the liners in the numerical models. However, the trends of the values were the same. If the material properties of corrugated paperboard components and modeling methods of the corrugated paperboard are further studied, the FE (finite element)-based simulation technique will be a useful alternative tool that can replace the edgewise compression test.
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