ABSTRACT
Food products are mainly judged by quality and safety. Packaging can play a role in preserving quality factors such as flavor, aroma, texture, color, overall appearance, and nutritional properties. Furthermore, interactive packaging may be designed to enhance these properties. The type of food, chemical composition, size, storage conditions, expected shelf life, moisture content, aroma/flavor, and appearance are just a few of the characteristics
that must be taken into consideration when selecting the right material for a food product. A continuing trend in food packaging is the design of packages to extend the shelf life of foods while maintaining fresh-like quality. This places a high demand on selecting materials that not only provide the needed properties to maintain the quality of the food, but also do so at a cost-effective price. The permeability of the packaging material is one of the most critical features of the package for affecting the quality of the food product. Materials can be selected to provide a very long shelf life, but one must ask whether there is a need for the best barrier. Furthermore, does the extension of the shelf life justify the cost of the material and the quality of the food? Therefore, knowing the important factors for material selection based on permeability is an essential part of the package design process.
