Container for respiring produce

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of a packaging material in the construction of a container for respiring produce, wherein the packaging material consists of a polyether-ester block copolymer or a blend of polyether-ester block copolymers and which packaging material has all of the following properties: a) permeability for oxygen is at least 40 cc.mm/m2.day.atm at 10° C. b) permeability for carbon dioxide is at least 600 cc.mm/m 2 .day.atm at 10° C. c) perm selectivity of carbon dioxide to oxygen is at least 10 d) water vapour transmission is at least 0.5 g.mm/m 2 .day at 10° C. and 85% RH and e) wherein the dimensions of the packaging material are chosen so as to allow oxygen to enter into the container at a rate lower than 110% of the respiration rate of the produce The invention also relates to a container made from the packaging material.

1 . Use of a packaging material in the construction of a container for respiring produce, wherein the packaging material consists of a polyether-ester block copolymer or a blend of polyether-ester block copolymers and which packaging material has all of the following properties:
 a) permeability for oxygen is at least 40 cc.mm/m 2 .day.atm at 10° C.   b) permeability for carbon dioxide is at least 600 cc.mm/m 2 .day.atm at 10° C.   c) perm selectivity of carbon dioxide to oxygen is at least 10   d) water vapour transmission is at least 0.5 g.mm/m 2 .day at 10° C. and 85% RH and   e) wherein the dimensions of the packaging material are chosen so as to allow oxygen to enter into the container at a rate lower than 110% of the respiration rate of the produce   
     
     
         2 . Use of a packaging material in the construction of a container for respiring produce, wherein the packaging material consists of a polyether-ester block copolymer or a blend of polyether-ester block copolymers and which packaging material has all of the following properties:
 a) permeability for oxygen is at least 100 cc.rnm/rn2.day.atm at 10° C.   b) permeability for carbon dioxide is at least 750 cc.mm/m2.day.atm at 10° C.   c) perm selectivity of carbon dioxide to oxygen is at least 12   d) water vapour transmission is at least 1 g.mm/m2.day at 10° C. and 85% RH and   e) wherein the dimensions of the packaging material are chosen so as to allow oxygen to enter into the container at a rate lower than or equal to 90% of the respiration rate of the produce   
     
     
         3 . Use according to  claim 1  for cut lettuce, cut iceberg lettuce, cut romain lettuce, cut spinach or cut endive wherein the rate at which oxygen enters the container is below 250 ml/kg.day. 
     
     
         4 . Use according to  claim 1  wherein the oxygen concentration at steady state conditions is less than 2 vol % O 2 . 
     
     
         5 . Container for respiring produce made from a packaging material consisting of a polyether-ester block copolymer or a blend of polyether-ester block copolymers and which packaging material has all of the following properties:
 a) permeability for oxygen is at least 40 cc.mm/m 2 .day.atm at 10° C.   b) permeability for carbon dioxide is at least 600 cc.mm/m 2 .day.atm at 10° C.   c) perm selectivity of carbon dioxide to oxygen is at least 10   d) water vapour transmission is at least 0.5 g.mm/m 2 .day at 10° C. and 85% RH and   e) wherein the dimensions of the packaging material are chosen so as to allow oxygen to enter into the container at a rate lower than 1 10% of the respiration rate of the produce   
     
     
         6 . Container according to  claim 5  characterized in that the container is fully made out of the packaging material 
     
     
         7 . Container according to  claim 5  characterized in that the container is only partly made out of the packaging material 
     
     
         8 . Container according to  claim 7  characterized in that the part made out of the packaging material is in the form of a panel that covers an excision in the material the container is made from. 
     
     
         9 . Container according to  claim 5  for holding cut lettuce, cut iceberg lettuce, cut romain lettuce, cut spinach and/or cut endive 
     
     
         10 . Container according to  claim 5  wherein the packaging material is used as a monolithic material