Fleece made of wood fibers what paper was when it was first made 2,000 years ago, it still is today. On the other hand, the purposes of use have multiplied. So nowadays, we often come across paper, cardboard and cardboard when it comes to food packaging. We will show you which properties and advantages the different varieties offer you and what they are best suited for.
Whether as paper, cardboard or cardboard The material serves as the basis for much different food packaging, from folded bags to wrapping paper, baking molds and filling material to cups or cardboard boxes. Apart from this variety, paper packaging has the advantage that it is easy to print on. Made from a natural raw material, they also score with their ecological balance, so they are also highly regarded by consumers.
The material’s sustainability is based on several reasons: On the one hand, the raw material wood is a renewable raw material and CO 2 -neutral. Certifications such as PEFC ™ or FSC ® can guarantee that the material is obtained and processed responsibly. Last but not least, the material is very easy to recycle, which further conserves resources. But how is paper packaging made, and how do they differ?
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Forest as a natural raw material
While technology and processing and the variety of paper types have changed over the thousand years of paper production, the basic principle is still the same: Fibers from the raw material wood are dissolved in water and dried on a sieve to form a fleece – the paper.
This stock preparation is called digestion, in which the wood is broken down into individual fibers in the water. Depending on the process, a distinction is made between three types of fibers
Wood pulp or wood pulp: The fibers are obtained purely mechanically – by crushing them on whetstones.
Semi pulp
The addition of digestion chemicals, the wood is pre-cooked and then mechanically shredded. It is, therefore, a semi-chemical process.
Cellulose or cellulose: In this process, the fibers are produced through chemical processing. Depending on which chemicals are used, a distinction is made between sulphate pulp and sulphite pulp. While sulphate pulp offers high strength, sulphite pulp is characterized by a high degree of whiteness. Paper made from these fibers is also known as wood-free, although originally made naturally from wood.
The fibers obtained are then applied to a sieve and rearranged there. The resulting paper fleece is removed from the water during further processing by draining, pumping, pressing, and drying. In addition, depending on the type of paper required, additives such as the natural minerals kaolin and chalk are added during the manufacturing process. Depending on the choice of these fillers, the paper becomes whiter, smoother or easier to print. In this way, thousands of paper types are created that differ in their surface, color, tear resistance or smell.
A rough subdivision is made into paper, cardboard and cardboard. The decisive factor is the thickness or mass per unit area of the material, also known as the grammage. While the paper has the fewest grams per square meter, cardboard achieves the highest values. According to DIN 6730, the paper is between 7 and 225 g / m 2. At the same time, cardboard starts at 226 g / m 2 . Information on cardboard, on the other hand, is not specifically defined, whereby in everyday life, we speak of cardboard with a grammage of 150 to 600 g / m 2.
When choosing paper packaging for food, the most important thing is dry, moist or greasy. Since paper is only suitable for dry things and otherwise becomes soggy, a special paper or coating is necessary for moist or greasy items. In addition, dry food can contact paper with recycled content if the packaging is approved for food. On the other hand, if the food is moist or greasy, the packaging must be made from primary fibers or coated.
Carry bag
It describes a bleached or unbleached packaging paper that offers high strength and flexibility. It is made from 100 percent longnfibre sulphate pulp and therefore does not contain any recycled material. Therefore, no inclusions can be seen on the paper. In addition, the surface on one side of the paper usually shines. This gloss is created during production in a calendar, where the paper runs under pressure through heated rollers – similar to an oversized iron.
Tissue paper
The term silk includes various types of paper, but they have one thing in common: They are thin and have a grammage of less than 30 g / m². When packaging, they are often used for sensitive products or as coloured paper for decoration. Certain tissue paper can also be used for food. For example, bread floss, available in recycled quality and a new fibre made from sulfite cellulose, is suitable for wrapping. At the same time, cream masking paper is ideal for separating or covering pieces of cake and tart.
Coated papers
Both Kraft paper and tissue paper can also be used for greasy and moist dishes – if they have a suitable coating. One possibility is to laminate Kraft paper with plastic film, which makes it grease and waterproof. This is used for snack bags or wrapping paper. In contrast, tissue paper – in the case of cream masking paper – is covered with a layer of wax.
Pergamentersatzpapier
In everyday life, parchment substitute paper is mainly known as sandwich paper. It is very similar to Kraft paper – with the difference that it is also suitable for fatty dishes without a coating. In addition, unlike Kraft paper, it is smooth on both sides. Due to its characteristics are for snack bags, paper cones, baking dishes, or pastries capsules suitable.
Carton
As mentioned, cardboard is thicker paper, which is usually created by pressing several layers together. During manufacture, it can be painted on one or both sides. This means that a layer of pigment is applied to the cardboard, making the surface more even or even easier to print on. As a result, cardboard is used in a wide range of food packaging: from paper plates and pastry trays to drinks and ice cream cups to carrying boxes and chocolate boxes.
Praline cardboard
As with classic papers, there are different qualities for which there is also a public key, according to DIN 19303. This describes with letters the surface treatment and the raw material used and a number for the colour of the back or the specific volume. One example is the GC2 quality, which is a pigment-coated wood pulp board with a light coloured front. In addition, the following terms are common:
Fresh fiber cardboard: consists of 100 percent primary fibers and is therefore also suitable for fatty and moist foods
Recycled cardboard contains secondary fibres and therefore needs a plastic coating to be suitable for all types of food
Chromo cardboard a coated cardboard, whereby the top layer can consist of waste paper or cellulose
Kraft cardboard particularly stable cardboard made of long fibres that ensure high tear resistance
Wood pulp cardboard is made from mechanically obtained wood pulp ( see above ), which makes the cardboard appear rather coarse
Cardboard
Cardboard has a high mass per unit area and is also thicker than paper. It is made by glueing or pressing several fiber fleeces together, which makes the material particularly stable. In addition to cups for soups or drinks, they are also used to make cake or pizza boxes in the food sector. The material is even more important – especially as corrugated cardboard – but for transport packaging.
There are also different types of cardboard
Solid board a very strong and heavy board with a high density and a uniform structure
Hard cardboard: an additional compression makes the cardboard even stronger, which ensures increased stability
Corrugated cardboard consists of a smooth paper as the outer or inner cover and a corrugated paper in between, the corrugated sheet. It can be made of several layers (single, double or triple corrugated). The type of wave also varies, both in wave height and in wave pitch, i.e. the distance between the individual wave peaks. The finest type is called a microwave, which is very easy to print on.
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