Poly(lactide) (PLA) polymers have garnered increasing attention in the last few years as food packaging materials because they can be obtained from renewable resources; their production consumes quantities of carbon dioxide; they can be recycled and composted; and their physical and mechanical properties can be tailored through polymer architecture. As a consequence, PLA is becoming a growing alternative as a 'green' food packaging material. PLA's optical, physical and mechanical properties have been compared to those of polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), although studies comparing and showing the actual performance of PLA, PS and PET plastics containers are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the role of PLA in package sustainability for the food service industry. Two of the commonly used materials to make containers to package fresh food, PET and oriented polystyrene (OPS), were compared with oriented PLA (OPLA) and OPLA with 40% recycled content from the industrial trimming process. The recycled OPLA provides an opportunity for full material utilization and lower costs. This study involved a number of tests to quantify the physical, mechanical, barrier and compatibility properties that would affect the selection criteria for containers to be used for food service applications. Based on the data collected, OPLA, OPLA + 40% regrind, OPS and PET performances were evaluated. Exposure of the four materials to vegetable oil and weak and strong acids show a minimal reduction in the performance of these polymers. At ambient temperature, PET has the highest impact resistance, followed by OPLA, OPS and OPLA + 40% regrind. In terms of barrier properties, PET shows the highest oxygen barrier, followed by OPLA, OPLA 40% recycled content, and OPS. Thus, OPLA and OPLA with 40% recycled content can be used for fresh food applications as well as OPS and PET, and in many situations it performs better than OPS and PET.

There is a significant amount of goods that are transported using tractor trailers. Most high-value products, such as electronics, highly perishable goods like fruits and vegetables and most retail consumer products, are shipped using trucks in North America. It is therefore important to measure and quantify the levels of vibration that occur inside this mode of transport as it pertains to damage. Vibration levels inside a tractor-trailer are a function of the road surface, the speed of the vehicle, the type of suspension and the structure of the trailer. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of vibration as a function of trailer suspension at normal operating speeds in commercially used truck equipment, over 16 000 km of road surfaces in North America.

Free trade agreements have been on the rise in all regions of the world in the past decade. This has allowed for global distribution and marketing of products in an international market. Products once produced for domestic markets must now be able to compete in international markets without trade barriers. Increased international commerce and manufacturing have forced many packaging and logistics engineers to broaden their true understanding of the global distribution environment. India is a recent entrant on the global arena for manufacturing and services. While China's economic developments have dominated global headlines, India's own growth has been impressive as well, with a gross domestic product rising 5% per annum on average since 1990. India is hence primed to follow China as the next low-cost manufacturing super power. With an increasing interest from multinational corporations in conducting commerce with India, there arises a great need to understand the conditions of the transportation infrastructure there to promote logistical understanding of the distribution environments. This paper provides a brief overview of the road and rail transportation environment in This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Singh, S. P., Sandhu, A. P. S., Singh, J. and Joneson, E. (2007), Measurement and analysis of truck and rail shipping environment in India.

Poly(lactide) (PLA) polymers are environmentally-friendly biodegradable materials that have garnered growing attention in the past few years as food packaging materials since packages made from PLA have the advantage of being produced from renewable resources, provides significant energy savings, and can be recyclable and compostable. PLA's optical, physical, and mechanical properties have been compared to those of polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) although studies comparing and showing the actual performance of PLA, PS, and PET packages are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate and to compare the role of PLA for the food service industry. Two of the commonly used materials to make containers to package fresh food, PET and oriented polystyrene (OPS), were compared with oriented PLA (OPLA). This study involved a number of tests to quantify the physical, mechanical, barrier, and compatibility properties that would affect the selection criteria for containers to be used for food service applications. Based on the results, OPLA, OPS, and PET performances were evaluated. Exposures of the three materials to weak and strong acids for seven days show a minimal reduction in the performance of these polymers. At ambient temperature, PET has the highest impact resistance followed by OPLA and OPS. PET shows the highest oxygen barrier followed by OPLA and OPS. Thus, several of the relevant properties for packaging applications of OPLA are between PET and OPS properties, suggesting that OPLA would also be suitable for some of these applications.

In distribution, packaged products are subjected to the variation in vibration levels from transport vehicles that vary in frequency and acceleration while moving to their destinations. This vibration may negatively affect the product or packaging. This study measured and analysed vibration levels in vehicles commonly used to transport packages in the last leg of the package delivery service that is used by single‐parcel carriers. Using data recorders, we monitored vertical, lateral and longitudinal vibrations over 75 h of travel time in five different types of small and medium package delivery vehicles. The study presents these data as power density (PD) spectra and compares it with previously measured PD vibration levels in commercial long‐haul interstate tractor‐trailer truck shipments. Data were collected in the USA and Thailand. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Increasing trade in today's global economy requires packaging to be designed to contain, protect and deliver products without damage during transportation and handling. Vibration forces that occur during transportation are one of the most significant causes of damage during shipping. The objective of this study was to quantify and analyse the vibration that occurs during truck transport in Brazil. The study was done using two types of trucks: small local trucks for local metropolitan distribution areas and larger tractor-trailers for cross-country transportation. Ten metropolitan areas in different regions of Brazil were selected for 1-day trips representing normal delivery. These trips encountered varying road surfaces (asphalt, concrete, stone and dirt). The long distance trips were done on highways that were more than 1200 km long. The vertical vibration levels were higher than the lateral and longitudinal levels as expected. A composite power density spectrum of all trips is provided in this paper to simulate truck transport in Brazil using random vibration test methods.

This paper reviews various previous studies conducted on measurement of physical and climatic conditions that occur inside International Standard Organization intermodal containers and their impact on packaging. The study measured vibration and temperature levels in two different shipments from India to USA where recorders measured the acceleration levels and temperature data while the instrumented and loaded containers travelled on truck, rail and ship. Measured data shows that extreme vibration levels occur while containers travel on trucks on poor road conditions followed by rail and ship travel. Highest temperature levels occur inside these containers when they are stationary and are at dry docks, as opposed to when they are travelling on truck or rail. Lowest vibration levels and temperature extremes occur when they are loaded on a ship and are travelling on sea.

Damage to fruits and vegetables continues to be a big challenge as global markets become a reality.Worldwide distribution of sensitive produce is faced with various levels of impacts from shipping and handling. Despite a variety of packaging options available today, bruising damage is commonplace for post-harvest apples throughout the supply chain. The major sources of bruising are compression, impact or vibration forces. Understanding where these forces occur can help reduce this type of mechanical damage to apples. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact characteristics of foam net and corrugated board when applied as wrapping for individual apples. Two grades (count numbers 80 and 100) of "Fuji" cultivar apples imported to Thailand from China were studied. A simple ballistic pendulum test device was developed to measure bruise volume to impact energy relationship. A linear relationship for both types of apples was observed. Bruise volume occurrence probability and impact This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Jarimopas, B., Singh, S. P., Sayasoonthorn, S. and Singh, J. (2007), Comparison of package cushioning materials to protect post-harvest impact damage to apples. Packaging Technology and Science, 20: 315-324. doi: 10.1002/pts.760, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pts.760/abstract energy relationship fitted by linear regression were created for cushioned and bare apples. Absorbed energy of various cushioning materials was also calculated under compressive forces.