| HS Code | 813942 |
| Oxygen Transmission Rate | Very low, typically <1 cc·20 μm/m²·day·atm under dry conditions |
| Aroma Barrier | Excellent retention of fresh meat and seafood aromas, preventing odor migration |
| Oil And Fat Resistance | High resistance to oils, fats, and greases from meat and seafood |
| Transparency | Clear and glossy appearance for product visibility |
| Thermoformability | Can be thermoformed into rigid trays and films at typical converting temperatures |
| Water Sensitivity | Oxygen barrier performance decreases at high relative humidity, requiring moisture barrier layers |
| Mechanical Strength | Good tensile strength and stiffness to protect products during handling |
| Puncture Resistance | Moderate puncture resistance, often enhanced by coextrusion with other polyolefins |
| Low Temperature Performance | Maintains flexibility and seal integrity at refrigeration temperatures (0-4°C) |
| Food Contact Safety | Compliant with FDA and EU food contact regulations for direct contact with fresh meat and seafood |
| Ethylene Content | Typically 27-48 mol%, with lower ethylene giving higher gas barrier |
| Density | Approximately 1.2 g/cm³, depending on ethylene content |
As an accredited EVOH for Fresh Meat & Seafood Packaging factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Available in 25 kg moisture-proof sealed bags, with oxygen-barrier EVOH resin for fresh meat and seafood packaging. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL: palletized EVOH resin loaded securely, protected from moisture and damage, ready for fresh meat and seafood packaging. |
| Shipping | EVOH for fresh meat and seafood packaging ships as moisture-protected, sealed resin pellets. It is non-hazardous and requires no special handling. Store in cool, dry conditions away from direct sunlight to preserve oxygen-barrier performance. Ensure containers remain sealed during transit to prevent moisture absorption and quality degradation. |
| Storage | Store EVOH resin in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, heat, and ignition sources. Keep containers tightly sealed to prevent moisture absorption and contamination. Avoid dust accumulation and contact with strong oxidizers. Use appropriate PPE when handling. Maintain stable temperatures; under proper conditions, shelf life is typically unaffected for several months. |
| Shelf Life | EVOH resin remains stable for 12 months when stored sealed, cool, and dry, ensuring fresh meat and seafood packaging performance. |
In case-ready red meat trays and lidding films operating under high-oxygen modified atmosphere, the EVOH core must remain buried between polyolefin skins because the copolymer absorbs moisture and loses oxygen barrier at meat-case humidity. The barrier extruder on a five-layer coextrusion sheet line is typically a 105 mm grooved-feed machine with an L/D of 24:1 to 30:1. Melt temperature is held at 205 °C to 225 °C at the barrier adapter, while the coextrusion feedblock and die are set at 210 °C to 220 °C. Total residence time above 220 °C is kept below 10 min; longer exposure generates oxidized gel particles that appear as lens-shaped defects in the finished tray flange. The sheet is thermoformed at a surface temperature of 135 °C to 155 °C with plug assist and a mould cavity temperature of 20 °C to 30 °C. The EVOH layer is 3 μm to 5 μm in a total lidding gauge of 50 μm to 75 μm, and each adjacent tie layer is 2 μm to 4 μm maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene. Finished high-oxygen case-ready trays are tested under ASTM F1927 with a target oxygen transmission rate below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 0 % RH. The same structure may rise above 1.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) when equilibrated at 85 % RH external humidity because water vapour swells the EVOH matrix and increases oxygen mobility.
Headspace gas for red meat is typically held at 80 % O₂ and 20 % CO₂; therefore the lidding barrier must prevent overwrap collapse and gas-partial-pressure drift across the cold-chain distribution period. Compliance with FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 Annex I is documented through total migration testing under EN 1186. Regrind from thermoformed EVOH-containing sheet is restricted to the polyolefin skin of the tray or lidding; addition above 20 % of the skin layer can alter melt viscosity at the die and produce interfacial instability. When the EVOH lot has been stored above 60 % RH without sealed foil packaging, it must be dried at 80 °C to below 0.3 % moisture content before extrusion. Failure to do so produces bubble speck and a measurable increase in edge trim scrap on the first production shift.
Vacuum skin packaging for fresh beef, lamb, and pork uses a heated top web that is drawn over the product by vacuum. The top web is a multilayer structure comprising a polyethylene skin, a tie layer, an EVOH core, a second tie layer, and an ionomer or low-melt EVA sealant. During forming, the polyolefin skin at the product corners thins by 30 % to 60 %, moving the EVOH core closer to the surface. The forming temperature must remain between 105 °C and 165 °C at the web surface. Below this range, EVOH cold-cracks under the drape; above this range, the web sags and the sealant begins to smear at the contact point. EVOH layer thickness in the top web is 3 μm to 7 μm, tie layers are 3 μm to 5 μm each, and the total web gauge is 90 μm to 150 μm. The bottom tray is commonly PP/tie/EVOH/tie/PP with an EVOH core of 5 μm to 8 μm. Package oxygen transmission is verified under ASTM F1307; a formed VSP package target is below 0.35 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 100 % O₂ driving force.
Vacuum level in the chamber is held between 1 mbar and 5 mbar at sealing. Residual oxygen in the package headspace is specified below 0.5 % by volume after sealing. The EVOH core must be protected from moisture from the meat surface; if the sealant layer is breached by bone fragments or if the tie layer coverage is interrupted, localised oxygen permeability increases at the puncture site. Seal strength is tested under ASTM F88 with a minimum value of 0.6 N/mm on the flange. Published data for the exact oxygen transmission of a sealed VSP package stored at 2 °C and 85 % RH is limited; film-flat values measured under ASTM F1927 are therefore used for incoming material release.
| Format | Typical structure | EVOH layer thickness | Total gauge | Barrier test standard | Target OTR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case-ready red meat MAP lidding | PET/tie/EVOH/tie/PE | 3–5 μm | 50–75 μm | ASTM F1927 | below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) |
| Vacuum skin packaging top web | PE/tie/EVOH/tie/ionomer | 3–7 μm | 90–150 μm | ASTM F1307 | below 0.35 cm³/(m²·day·atm) |
| Fresh seafood MAP tray | PP/tie/EVOH/tie/PP | 3–5 μm | 300–600 μm | ASTM F1927 | below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) |
| Barrier shrink bag for primals | PE/tie/EVOH/tie/PE/EVA | 3–5 μm | 50–70 μm | ASTM F1927 | below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 80 % RH |
| Fresh ground meat chub film | PE/tie/EVOH/tie/PE/EVA | 2–3 μm | 50–75 μm | ASTM F1927 | below 0.8 cm³/(m²·day·atm) |
| Fish portion FFS lidding | PET/tie/EVOH/tie/LLDPE | 3–6 μm | 50–80 μm | ASTM F1927 | below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) |
For fresh seafood trays filled at 0 °C to 2 °C under modified atmosphere containing 40 % CO₂ and 60 % N₂, the tray wall is PP/tie/EVOH/tie/PP with an EVOH core of 3 μm to 5 μm in a total tray gauge of 300 μm to 600 μm. The EVOH layer is placed closer to the outside wall than the inside wall to delay moisture uptake from the product cavity. Lidding is PET/tie/EVOH/tie/LLDPE with an EVOH core of 3 μm to 5 μm. Oxygen transmission below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 0 % RH is specified under ASTM F1927. The sealant layer contains nonionic antifog additive at 0.5 % to 1.2 % by weight to maintain transparency over chilled display. Published data on the direct plasticisation of EVOH by antifog migration is limited; the main reported effect is sealant surface haze rather than EVOH barrier loss when the additive load remains below 1.5 %.
The sheet used for seafood trays is dried before extrusion at 80 °C to below 0.3 % moisture content with a desiccant dryer that supplies air at a dew point of -40 °C or lower. The barrier extruder is run at 205 °C to 225 °C, and the die is held at 215 °C. Start-up purging with LDPE is required for 20 min to 30 min after barrier resin changes. Because fresh seafood trays are in direct contact with melt water from ice during retail display, external humidity can exceed 95 % RH; the outer PP skin must be continuous and at least 100 μm thick to keep the EVOH layer below the humidity threshold where oxygen transmission sharply increases. Compliance is tested under EN 1186, and the EVOH layer is covered by FDA 21 CFR 177.1360.
Barrier shrink bags for vacuum-packaged beef primals and pork loins are produced by the double-bubble process. The EVOH core is coextruded with polyethylene skins, tie layers, and an inner sealing layer. The primary difference from PVdC-containing structures is that EVOH cannot be used as a monolayer barrier during the second bubble orientation step; it must be fully encapsulated before the reheating stage. The tube is quenched and then reheated to 82 °C to 90 °C for orientation. Machine-direction orientation is limited to 2.5:1 and transverse-direction orientation to 2.8:1; higher draw ratios cause micro-cracking in the EVOH layer. The EVOH layer thickness after orientation is 3 μm to 5 μm in a total bag gauge of 50 μm to 70 μm. Shrink temperature in the packaging plant is 82 °C to 90 °C for 1 s to 2 s. The bag oxygen transmission rate is specified below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 80 % RH under ASTM F1927 after conditioning.
Under chilled storage at 0 °C to 4 °C, the EVOH core is exposed to high internal humidity from purge and to external cold-room humidity. The inner PE sealing layer must be at least 20 μm thick to keep liquid water from reaching the tie layer. If a bone puncture occurs, delamination can propagate along the EVOH/tie interface; sealant layer ionomer or very low-density polyethylene improves puncture resistance. The replacement of PVdC eliminates chlorine-containing scrap, but it also narrows the thermoforming window of the secondary bubble. Batch-to-batch variation in EVOH moisture content from the supplier is controlled by in-line vacuum drying to below 0.3 % before the first extruder zone. Compliance with FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 is documented at the bag supplier level.
| Standard/regulation | Scope | Relevance to EVOH packaging |
|---|---|---|
| FDA 21 CFR 177.1360 | Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer food-contact status | EVOH core in rigid and flexible structures |
| Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 Annex I, Article 6 | Overall migration limit 10 mg/dm² | Finished material compliance for fresh meat and seafood contact |
| EN 1186 series | Overall migration test methods | Validation of tray, lidding, bag, and chub film |
| ASTM D3985 | Dry-film oxygen transmission coulometric test | Incoming EVOH film barrier at 23 °C, 0 % RH |
| ASTM F1927 | Modulated humidity oxygen transmission test | High-relative-humidity barrier after moisture equilibration |
| ASTM F1307 | Package oxygen transmission test | Formed VSP and sealed seafood tray package OTR |
| ASTM F88 | Seal strength test | Seal integrity on contaminated flanges |
On vertical form-fill-seal clipping lines running at 60 to 120 packages/min, chub packaging for fresh ground beef and fresh sausage is formed from a blown coextrusion. The film contains an EVOH core of 2 μm to 3 μm, a total gauge of 50 μm to 75 μm, and inner/outer polyolefin skins. The product is pumped at 4 °C into the tube and sealed with metal clips. Blow-up ratio is held at 2.0 to 2.5; frost-line height is set at 2 to 4 die diameters to avoid gauge bands that reduce clip seal integrity. The EVOH layer must survive high-speed clipping without cracking. The target film oxygen transmission rate is below 0.8 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 0 % RH under ASTM D3985. At 85 % RH the OTR may rise above 2.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm); chub packaging is therefore not used for extended red-meat display and is limited to distribution periods where the high-speed format and portion control outweigh moisture-limited barrier performance.
The clipping area is a source of pinholes if the film is too stiff. Blending an ethylene-rich EVOH grade with higher flex-crack resistance reduces pinhole rates on high-speed lines; however, the oxygen barrier at low humidity is lower than that of an ethylene-poor grade. The selection is a compromise between clip performance and OTR. Published data for the exact pinhole rate change across EVOH grades on a specific clip machine is limited.
Portion-packed fresh fish is sealed on automatic tray lines operating at 60 to 120 packs/min. The lidding film is reverse-printed PET/tie/EVOH/tie/LLDPE or polyester/tie/EVOH/tie/PE. The EVOH layer is 3 μm to 6 μm in a total lidding gauge of 50 μm to 80 μm. The sealant layer is LLDPE with a sealing initiation temperature of 105 °C to 115 °C; seal jaws run at 130 °C to 150 °C with dwell 0.3 s to 0.8 s. Fish oil and water droplets are present on the flange at the sealing station. If the sealant layer is too thin, contamination prevents a continuous seal and the EVOH layer does not participate in the oxygen barrier at the flange. Minimum sealant layer thickness after printing and lamination is 20 μm to 25 μm.
Package oxygen transmission is specified below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 0 % RH under ASTM F1927 for the flat lidding film. Seal strength is tested under ASTM F88; a minimum value of 0.7 N/mm is required across the contaminated flange. The reverse-printed PET outer layer protects the EVOH core from external humidity, while the inner LLDPE layer blocks moisture from the fish. Compliance requires the complete lidding structure to meet total migration limits under EN 1186, and the EVOH layer to meet FDA 21 CFR 177.1360. When the line speed exceeds 120 packs/min, the dwell time falls below 0.3 s and the sealant temperature drops below the sealing initiation point, producing intermittent flange channels. The structure is therefore specified with an additional 5 μm of sealant for high-speed lines rather than a thicker EVOH core.
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Commercial EVOH for fresh meat and seafood packaging is supplied as an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer with an ethylene content between 27 mol% and 44 mol%. Under ISO 1133-1:2022, typical melt flow rates at 210 °C and 2.16 kg range from 1.5 g/10 min to 6.0 g/10 min. The oxygen permeability coefficient of a 32 mol% ethylene film grade, measured according to ASTM D3985 at 23 °C and 0% RH, is typically 0.02–0.20 cm³·mm/(m²·day·atm), while water vapour transmission at 38 °C and 90% RH becomes the limiting parameter once the barrier layer moisture content exceeds 3–5 wt%. Because EVOH is not a monolayer solution for wet protein packaging, it is coextruded between layers of low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester, with maleic anhydride-grafted polyolefin tie layers of 2–5 µm on either side to maintain interfacial adhesion above 4 N/15 mm when tested under ASTM F88/F88M. In fresh meat and seafood applications, the EVOH layer typically accounts for 3–10% of total film thickness, delivering the oxygen barrier without direct food contact.
The ethylene molar content is the primary specification for matching a grade to packaging performance. A 27 mol% ethylene grade offers the lowest oxygen permeability but requires melt temperatures near 220–230 °C and exhibits higher moisture sensitivity, making it less suitable for deep-draw seafood trays with corner radii below 8 mm. A 44 mol% ethylene grade thermoforms more uniformly, with elongation at break values above 250% under ISO 527-3, and it retains a larger fraction of its dry oxygen barrier at 85% RH, but its base oxygen permeability is higher. Representative commercial materials in this space include Kuraray EVAL F101 and EVAL H171B, as well as Nippon Gohsei Soarnol grades designed for film coextrusion and thermoforming. Grade-to-grade differences in melt flow rate of 1.6–12.0 g/10 min under ISO 1133-1:2022 influence the shear viscosity at the die and therefore the layer distribution across a multi-layer structure. A grade selection table is provided in Table 1.
| Packaging structure | Ethylene content | Melt flow rate | Barrier layer thickness | Functional requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-O₂ case-ready red meat tray (80% O₂ / 20% CO₂) | 32 mol% | 1.6–3.0 g/10 min | 5–8 µm | Retain internal O₂ partial pressure above 55% for 14 days |
| Vacuum skin packaging for fresh red meat | 32–38 mol% | 1.6–4.0 g/10 min | 7–12 µm | Block oxygen ingress to maintain deoxymyoglobin after opening |
| Seafood modified atmosphere pack (30–50% CO₂ / balance N₂) | 32–44 mol% | 3.0–12.0 g/10 min | 5–10 µm | Limit lipid oxidation and trimethylamine formation |
| Deep-draw thermoformed tray with sharp corners | 44 mol% | 5.5–12.0 g/10 min | 8–15 µm | Maintain corner thickness above 3 µm after draw ratio 3:1 |
Profile control in multi-layer blown film and cast film lines determines whether the EVOH layer can be maintained at a constant thickness. On a five-layer line with a 45 mm barrier extruder and a 30:1 L/D screw, barrel zone settings of 180–220 °C and a die temperature of 220–230 °C are common. If the melt temperature exceeds 235 °C, gel particles from thermally crosslinked EVOH appear as fish-eye defects; below 200 °C, the resin may not fully plasticate, causing layer thickness variation. Purging with low-viscosity LDPE between product changes is required because EVOH has a narrow processing window and residence times above 10 min can generate black specks. Shutdown protocols specify reducing barrel temperatures to 150 °C within 5 min and purging until the clear purge exits the die.
High-humidity conditions in seafood display cases are the primary barrier risk. EVOH is a semi-crystalline copolymer in which the vinyl alcohol segments provide oxygen barrier through intermolecular hydrogen bonding; when water vapour penetrates the surrounding polyolefin layers and plasticizes the amorphous regions, the oxygen transmission rate increases. For a 25 µm EVOH layer at 23 °C and 0% RH, ASTM D3985 values may range from 0.05–0.50 cm³/(m²·day·atm), but the same layer can exceed 2.0–8.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 85% RH. Seafood packs chilled with wet ice therefore require an EVOH grade with higher ethylene content or a thicker external moisture barrier. A symmetrical structure of HDPE/tie/EVOH/tie/HDPE with HDPE layers at least 15–25 µm thick is often used to reduce moisture ingress below 0.5 g/(m²·day) under ASTM F1249 at 38 °C and 90% RH. Table 2 compares EVOH with alternative barrier materials.
| Material | O₂ transmission at 23 °C / 0% RH | O₂ transmission at 23 °C / 85% RH | Water vapour transmission at 38 °C / 90% RH | Test methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVOH 32 mol% | 0.05–0.50 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 2.0–8.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 20–60 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
| EVOH 44 mol% | 0.5–2.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 1.0–4.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 15–40 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
| PVDC | 0.5–2.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 0.5–2.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 0.1–0.5 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
| Polyamide 6 | 10–30 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 20–60 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 50–150 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
| PET | 20–60 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 25–70 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 15–40 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
| Metallized PET | 0.1–1.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 0.3–2.0 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 0.1–0.5 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
| LDPE | 1500–3000 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 1500–3000 cm³/(m²·day·atm) | 10–20 g/(m²·day) | ASTM D3985, ASTM F1249 |
Comparison with PVDC shows the key difference: PVDC maintains barrier under high humidity but contains vinylidene chloride comonomer and contributes to corrosive off-gas during recycling. EVOH has no chlorinated chemistry and can be incorporated into certain polyethylene recycle streams at low concentrations, although orientation and delamination behaviour depend on tie layer selection. Metallized PET shows lower low-humidity oxygen permeability but loses barrier after draw ratios above approximately 2:1 due to microcracking in the aluminium layer; EVOH is preferred for transparent, deep-draw packages. Polyamide 6 provides lower moisture sensitivity but its oxygen barrier is roughly one to two orders of magnitude lower than EVOH under dry conditions, making it a structural or abuse-resistance layer rather than a primary barrier.
Fresh red meat packaging uses EVOH differently depending on oxygen partial pressure. In high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging, the EVOH layer retains the 70–80% oxygen atmosphere that stabilizes oxymyoglobin, while in low-oxygen vacuum skin packs, the barrier prevents oxygen ingress that would form metmyoglobin. The barrier layer thickness is set by the required oxygen ingress over shelf life; seafood with high polyunsaturated fatty acid content typically requires an oxygen transmission rate below 0.5 cm³/(m²·day·atm) at 23 °C and 50% RH to limit volatile amine formation. This is achieved with a 7–10 µm EVOH layer of 32–38 mol% ethylene, depending on tie resin adhesion and total film thickness. Regulatory compliance is documented under EU Regulation 10/2011 and food-contact notifications under the U.S. FDA, with residual vinyl alcohol monomer controlled below applicable migration limits; users should verify grade-specific migration test results under EN 1186-1:2002 and ASTM F1927 before specifying a structure. For exact shelf-life prediction under retail display humidity cycles, published data for specific fresh seafood configurations is limited; accelerated shelf-life testing under ASTM F1980 is required.
