Packaging Analysis

Engineering the right final package for any application means ensuring the end result has the required properties to keep the product fresh and safe, extending it's shelf life and meeting consumer expectations whilst at the same time being as cost efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible.

Partner with PerkinElmer to benefit from expert support and analytical testing instrumentation for the development, design and manufacture of your packaging materials; from food contact materials testing to pharmaceutical packaging. We can provide you with trusted analytical solutions at every stage and across international standards to ensure compliance with essential regulations.

We have experience providing solutions for customers testing products and brands for food, drink, healthcare and cosmetics as well as electronic & consumer goods. Our comprehensive product portfolio supports the ever-changing requirements of labs worldwide.

Material Characterization
Compliance & Safety Testing
QA/QC Food & Pharma Packaging

Material Characterization

Employ cutting-edge solutions for the identification and characterization of your materials. It's critical to understand physical properties to reach the packaging performance you need to keep the product within safe and fresh.

Identification - quickly identify and verify types of polymers and detect residual monomers
Thermal analysis - of polymers including crystallinity, glass transition, melting points, curing temperature and determine ash content
Mechanical polymer testing - tensile strength, thermal expansion as well as softening and penetration analysis

Analysis of Multi-Layer Polymer Laminates with Infrared Microscopy

Polymer laminates are materials consisting of multiple layers of different polymers. These materials are ubiquitous in modern day life with a substantial amount of food and pharmaceutical packaging containing laminates. A common requirement of food packaging is that the internal layer must be appropriate to be in contact with food and the external layer must be suitable for printing product information. This application note describes how the PerkinElmer Spotlight™ 400 Imaging System with the ATR imaging allows layers with thicknesses down to 2-3 µm to be investigated.

Determination of Monomers in Polymers by Multiple Headspace Extraction

A common QC test in plastic production is the analysis of residual monomers in the final polymer material. This analysis is well suited for headspace sampling because headspace eliminates the sample preparation. The sample is analyzed directly with no need to dissolve the polymer. Multiple headspace extraction (MHE) is a technique to exhaustively extract a sample and calculate the amount of analyte by comparison to an external standard. This application note will discuss the testing of polymers for residual monomers by MHE-GC/MS. The polymers tested in this application are used for the manufacturing of corrective eyeglass lenses. This material is monitored for acrylic acids, such as methylmethacrylic acid methyl ester (MMA).

Mechanical Properties of Films and Coatings

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) is a technique used to investigate the stiffness of materials as a function of temperature, humidity, dissolution media or frequency. A mechanical stress is applied to a film sample or coated polymer or other material sample and the resultant strain is measured by the instrument. These parameters are used to evaluate glass transitions, degree of crystallinity and stiffness behaviour of the sample.

Compliance & Safety Testing

Detecting and monitoring the presence of impurities within the packaging material is vital for a safe and compliant route to market. Perform in-depth analysis on additives and emissions, get to the root of packaging failures and detect the presence of contaminants.

Analyze additives in multilayer polymer laminates including plasticizers, flame retardants, antioxidants, acid scavengers, light stabilizers, lubricants, pigments, antistatic agents, slip compounds and thermal stabilizers
Test for VOC emissions from packaging inclusions such as the solvents present in label adhesives, dyes, inks and varnishes
Get control of extractables & leachables and comply with relevant regulations such as EC 1935/2004, EC 2023/2006, Commission Directive 2002/72/EC, FDA title 21 CFR, AS 2070-1999, Japan's Food Sanitation Law and GB9685-2008

Determination of Benzene, Acetaldehyde and Limonene in Polyethylene Terephthalate by Headspace GC

The increasing quantity of recyclable materials is creating challenges for the recycling industry, as it is crucial that materials used both in the production of products and in the recycling process be consistent and free of impurities and contaminants. In this application note, a method for the analysis of benzene, acetaldehyde, and limonene in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles is presented utilizing a Clarus® 590 GC with FID detector and TurboMatrix HS 40.

Determination of Residual Solvents in Flexible Packaging According to EN 13628-2:2004

The solvents in the inks used to print flexible packaging may represent a possible source of food contamination and therefore must be controlled for quality and consumer safety. For the determination of residual solvents from printed materials, it is highly recommended that an analytical method such as the official UNI EN 13628-2:20041 is followed. This Application Note describes how GC (Gas Chromatography) analytical techniques can be used to determine the presence and quantity of residual solvents using the Clarus 580 GC / TurboMatrix Headspace system for swift and simple sample preparation and accurate analytical results.

Determination of Migration of Phthalate and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon from Food Contact Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are widely used in food packaging due to cost and flexibility, for example breakfast items such as hot steamed buns, oil cake and soybean milk are typically packaged in plastic. Leftovers, supermarket cooked food and even beer, are also packaged with plastic bags. Plastic packaging is very convenient but plasticizers and other additives dissolve and migrate into food during processing, heating and packaging, which can result in food contamination and permanent damage to human health and the environment. This application note demonstrates a method for the determination of 16 phthalates (PAEs) and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) leaching from plastic bags using the PerkinElmer Clarus® SQ 8 GC/MS with electron ionization (EI) source. The method is based on the Chinese National Standards GB 31604.1-2015, GB 31604.30-2016 and GB 5009.265-2016. 1-3 Toluene is used as a solvent to extract the target compounds from the food simulants.

QA/QC Food & Pharma Packaging

Meet comprehensive food-contact testing requirements to international regulatory frameworks. By providing you with a comprehensive solution, combining the right instrumentation, consumables accessories and reagents, we ensure QA/QC laboratories can meet stringent food and pharmaceutical regulations for the quality of primary packaging from plastic materials;

EU, EU member states' national legislation – such as ICH Q3E Impurity guidelines
FDA regulations such as CFR 211 Subpart E on the Control of Components and Drug Product Containers
Legislations in Canada, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Israel, South East Asia, Australia & NZ

IR Spec Analysis of Plastic Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials to USP 661.1

Packaging is defined as a means of providing protection, identification, and containment of a product during storage and transport until it is consumed. The pharmaceutical packaging industry has an estimated value of $68.7 billion, and when it comes to their packaging quality, it is essential that suitable physical, chemicals and biological properties are upheld to ensure integrity of the product and to meet relevant standards. The PerkinElmer Spectrum Two FT-IR Spectrometer with UATR accessory provides a fast and robust method for determination of pharmaceutical packaging material. Furthermore, when used in conjunction with the Spectrum 10TM Enhanced Security, packaging can be easily analyzed while fulfilling requirements of 21 CFR part 11 compliance.

Assessment of Extractables and Leachables Associated with Pharmaceutical Packaging

Extractables and leachables studies are critical for maintaining the quality of your drug product and complying with GMP regulations during drug development and final batch release. Exposure to extractables and leachables could have a detrimental impact on the safety and efficacy of a final drug product. Testing for these contaminants is critical in every part of pharmaceutical packaging including the packaging system used to store drug products.

Spectral Transmission of Pharmaceutical Containers in Accordance with USP <671>

All medicinal products need to be protected and packaged in containers which conform to prescribed standards. The quality of pharmaceutical packaging can have a significant impact on the performance of pharmaceutical products and can reduce shelf-life if the improper packaging is used. The USP chapter, <671>, “Containers – Performance Testing” provides standards for the functional properties of packaging systems used for solid and liquid oral dosage forms for pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. This application note demonstrates the determination of spectral transmission of plastic pharmaceutical containers using the PerkinElmer LAMBDA™ 1050+ UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer, in accordance with USP <671>.

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