Effect of γ-irradiation on commercial polypropylene based mono and multi-layered retortable food packaging materials

Irradiation processing of food in the prepackaged form may affect chemical and physical properties of the plastic packaging materials. The effect of gamma-irradiation doses (2.5-10.0 kGy) on polypropylene (PP)-based retortable food packaging materials, were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis, which revealed the changes happening to these materials after irradiation. The mechanical properties decreased with irradiation while oxygen transmission rate (OTR) was not affected significantly. Colour measurement indicated that Nylon 6 containing multilayer films became yellowish after irradiation. Thermal characterization revealed the changes in percentage crystallinity. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.