Packaging is a fundamental step in the spice production process. Using the right packaging prolongs the shelf life, presents the product to consumers in an appealing way and preserves its quality and organoleptic properties.
These days, it’s also important to pay attention to the sustainability of food packaging, a factor that is increasingly significant in order for products to be competitive on the market and respect regulations. Let’s see how to package spices to preserve their flavor and freshness.
Spice packaging
Spices are commonly used in cooking to give food a healthy and natural unique flavor with more structure. The production process involves various techniques and a careful evaluation of the quality of the raw materials and a number of characteristics like color, flavor and aroma.
Some spices are ground, which is a delicate operation to avoid losing the aromas given off by the essential oils present. Next, spices can be mixed to combine aromas and flavors based on the desired end product. Then the spices are packaged.
Special automatic or semi-automatic packaging machines insert the product into the chosen packaging. Doypacks are an ideal packaging solution for spices are they are flexible, efficient and facilitate logistics and transport, improving the consumer experience.
Doypacks can be made of COEX or through the lamination of different polymers, such as PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), aluminum and kraft paper (PAP). This type of stand-up pouch has a distinctive zip closure to preserve the spices’ organoleptic properties, while models with a square base are a premium type of packaging used for high-end products.
How to guarantee freshness and quality
Whether spices are packaged by third parties or directly by the manufacturer, the packaging must preserve the quality and freshness. An ideal solution is vacuum packaging, which prolongs the shelf life and preserves the product’s nutritional and organoleptic properties.
Specific types of vacuum packaging must be used for spices, such as flexible films, laminates and COEX. Vacuum bags are an efficient solution: these food bags are suitable for vacuum technology, are made with a multi-layer structure and can be printed in HD in up to 8 colors.
Spice packaging: our tips
With spice packaging, it’s important to keep in mind certain factors to ensure an optimal shelf life and market appreciation. One important feature is the customization of the food packaging as the packaging design can enhance the product marketing and make it more appealing.
It’s also good to consider the sustainability of the packaging as consumers are paying more attention to this and European legislation is becoming stricter. There is a variety of eco-friendly packaging available, such as packaging made from recyclable materials, and biodegradable or compostable packaging that complies with the UNI EN 13432 standard.
Volmar Packaging offers innovative and reliable solutions that will enhance your products with professional, high-quality packaging for spices. We offer Doypacks – an efficient type of packaging that is excellent value for money – as well as recyclable single-polymer bags with a high barrier effect.
We also offer other eco-friendly packaging solutions for spices, with a range of options with a low environmental impact. Finally, we also supply flexible plastic packaging to meet all needs, including flexible films, laminates and COEX, which offer excellent performance and are suitable for HD gravure or flexo printing in up to 10 colors.