The oxygen scavenging film discussed in this paper eliminates the ingress of oxygen from atmospheric air throughan outside barrier film and scavenges oxygen residues from the headspace of a package. The use of active oxygenscavenging material as adhesive between laminate layers allows selection of barrier and oxygen permeable filmsfrom a wide range of alternatives. Manufacturers can apply their best technologies and meet the special requirementsof each application when designing the construction of a film laminate. Regulatory processes concerning the use of afilm product for direct contact with food are straightforward.The manufacturing technology of enzyme based oxygen scavenging films has been tested on factory scale andproduct properties have been examined and evaluated. Commercial production with the current technology can becarried out without significant investments. The product is transparent and can be heat-sealed through the adhesivelayer. However, the bond strength between the barrier and permeable films is quite weak and further developmentwill be expected.The scavenging capacity of the product is proportional to the thickness of the adhesive layer. The capacity that hasbeen reached is significant but still marginal concerning many conceivable applications. In order to find wide usee.g. for food applications it would be very desirable to improve the oxygen scavenging capacity 1.5 - 3 fold. Thiscould be achieved by using enzyme systems of higher volumetric capacity. By evaluating over 150 enzymes severalmore efficient systems have been identified.
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