Nylon Film and High-Temperature Cooking Bags
High-temperature cooking bags are a production process that efficiently and thoroughly sterilizes products through high temperatures over a specific time period. They are widely used in military rations, meat products, soy products, nuts, various beverage products, and more. They are also used in the sterilization of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and injectables. The sterilization temperature range for high-temperature cooking bags generally falls between 121°C and 135°C. Currently, there are ultra-high-temperature sterilization processes that can completely eliminate the most heat-resistant spore-forming harmful bacteria, like Clostridium botulinum, in approximately 3 minutes at around 145°C. Increasing the temperature beyond 120°C in high-temperature cooking bags results in unpredictable changes, as many raw materials already have a critical limit at 120°C. Therefore, great caution is required in the production of high-temperature cooking bags, especially those designed for temperatures above 121°C.
Nylon film, with its unique properties such as oil resistance, puncture resistance, UV resistance, and excellent gas barrier properties, plays a crucial role in the structure of high-temperature cooking bags. The design of nylon film as a component of composite flexible packaging materials must meet the requirements of high-temperature sterilization processes. Various factors need to be considered in the design, including the material's functional properties during production, the product's requirements, as well as the effects of sterilization processes, distribution, storage, and sales on the performance of the packaging bags. Nylon film has a high moisture absorption property and cannot be treated with antistatic agents during production. In addition to this, it has drawbacks related to bowing effects and thickness uniformity. Therefore, when producing high-temperature cooking bags, it is essential to pay attention to factors such as the evenness of the nylon film's thickness, moisture absorption, antistatic properties, crystallization points, resistance to humidity-induced shrinkage, and oxygen permeability under 80% humidity conditions.