Yam, Kit L. (ed.). The Wiley encyclopedia of packaging technology

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cleaners, and other potentially hazardous materials. Al-

ternatively, we might envisage a shape memory material

acting as a metal rubber band to retain an end or closure

that vents or opens automatically with change in tem-

perature—for example, on microwave heating. As always

however, there is a ﬁne line between ‘‘easy-to-open’’ and

‘‘easy-to-tamper with.’’

ADDING NEW FUNCTIONALITY—SELF-HEATING AND

SELF-COOLING PACKAGING

Self-Heating—Technologies and Applications

The only viable form of heat engine for self-heating

packaging is an exothermic chemical reaction. A number

of options are available with varying degrees of heat

output, but the most reactive are also the most dangerous,

using potentially toxic chemicals and producing undesir-

able gaseous byproducts. The exothermic chemical reac-

tion of choice for consumer packaging is lime reacted with

water because lime is cheap and readily available, and it

generates substantial heat output with environmentally

acceptable byproducts. An alternative reaction is the

hydration of anhydrous calcium chloride, which has the

advantage of no reaction byproducts but generates a lower

heat output.

Beverages, and particularly coffee, have been the most

active application area for self-heating packaging. One of

the most successful self-heating containers was launched

in test markets in the UK in 2001 as a joint venture

between Crown Cork and Seal, Thermotics Development,

and Nestle

. The product ‘‘Hot When You Want’’ Nescafe

canned coffee heated B200 mL of hot coffee to around

401C above ambient in about 3 minutes. More recently,

there has been a major launch of self-heating gourmet

lattes in the USA, with a range of 10-ounce Wolfgang Puck

gourmet lattes being available through Kroger grocery

stores in 32 states. Based on the lime/water reaction, the

plastic container is portable, ﬁts into a cup holder, and

heats the coffee to around 601C in 6 minutes—and stays

hot for 30 minutes.

In many Mediterranean countries, traditionally a small

quantity of strong espresso coffee is the beverage of choice,

drunk at medium warm temperatures. With these para-

meters, less energetic exothermic reactions can be used.

Caldo Caldo, an Italian development, uses the exothermic

reaction between anhydrous calcium chloride and water. A

cross section of the package is shown in Figure 7. When

the substances are mixed, heat swirls around the alumi-

nium cup and is conducted into the beverage. The con-

sumer shakes the container for 40 seconds before peeling

off the lid and a temperature rise of around 231Cis

achieved. Hot drink variants are coffee, cappuccino, cho-

colate, coffee with grappa, and tea with lemon. This

beverage is sold across Europe in sports venues, motorway

rest areas, and many other outlets.

Self-Heating—Other Products

The increasingly convenience-orientated domestic market

requires a means to heat all types of food and beverages,

Figure 6. Electrical debonding at point of sale of a hard-to-open

clamshell package via a hand-held power source. (Reproduced

with permission from Stora Enso.)

Figure 7. Cross section of ‘‘Caldo Caldo’’ self-heating

coffee container. Depressing the ﬂexible plastic base

pierces an aluminium foil membrane allowing the water

and calcium chloride to mix. When shaken, the resulting

exothermic reaction transfers heat via the foil cup to the

beverage.

1128 SMART PACKAGING

including high-viscosity liquids and solid products—that

is, thick soups, snacks including wraps, fajitas, stuffed

pita bread, ready meals, pasta, rice and stews. To date, the

technologies for self-heating have been conﬁned to lime/

water reactions, where heat output is lower but the

reaction is safer. But heating times can be long for solid

food products since heat is transferred from the heating

source to the product solely by conduction.

By ensuring excess water is present with the lime/water

reaction, a new heat transfer process is being developed by

Thermotic Developments—that of direct steam heating (9).

This highly efﬁcient system transfers heat to the product

by injecting steam directly into and through the food.

Steam is a very effective medium for transferring energy,

with 1 g of steam providing 2.2 kJ of energy.

Spin-off technology from the military MRE programs

using highly reactive exothermic reactions based on mag-

nesium oxidation or the reaction between potassium

permanganate and glycerine provides rapid heating even

for solid food meals. This has created a niche but growing

market for self-heating food products for emergency ser-

vices and the outdoors sector.

A number of non-food commercial products are avail-

able that use the lime/water reaction for heating. SC

Johnson’s Raid

Fumigator is designed to fumigate a

room or dwelling area. It consists of a metal can contain-

ing insecticide in pellet form in an upper cup and lime

below in a separate container. Supplied with the can is a

separate plastic container that is part-ﬁlled with water

and into which the can is placed, activating the reaction.

The room is then evacuated and the heat generated

evaporates the insecticide through a ﬁlter in the top of

the can. A self-heating cleansing body wipe, Redi+Wash,

for use in hospitals and by consumers looking for hygiene

on the move, such as campers, travelers, and government

ﬁeld ofﬁcers has been developed by U.S.-based Donovan

Industries. After activation, the wipes in packets of ﬁve or

eight heat up in 1–2 minutes and then keep warm for a

further 20–30 minutes.

Self-Cooling—Technologies and Applications

Self-cooling is technically more challenging than self-

heating, and current developments are focused on the

two most cost-effective and safe technologies: endothermic

chemical reactions and heat pump technology using water

vapor as the heat transfer ﬂuid.

Endothermic chemical reactions tend to be weak, pro-

ducing cool but not cold products. The sister product of

Caldo Caldo, Freddo Freddo, is a commercial coffee bev-

erage product that employs the endothermic reaction

between sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate and water.

By contrast, water evaporation can be a powerful cool-

ing process, as stepping out of the shower on a cold day

demonstrates. The evaporation of 10 mL of water can

theoretically cool 330 mL of water by 181C. Heat pump

technology has not yet become commercial for single-serve

containers, with high cost and lack of reliability appearing

to be the key factors. But the technology is ﬁnding

commercial success in party keg sizes of beer. The German

CS-Metallbau Company has developed the world’s ﬁrst

self-chilling reﬁllable stainless steel keg using zeolite heat

pump technology. The technology is licensed to Cool-

System Bev. GmbH (10); and it is being used by Germany’s

Tucher Bra

u brewery, as well as other breweries through-

out Europe, Asia, and the United States, for take home-

beer in 5- to 20-L sizes.

Self-Heating and Self-Cooling Smart Packaging—Future

Outlook

For self-heating packaging, technical developments are

expected to continue with the focus being on lime/water

and calcium chloride/water chemical reactions with the

provision of a temperature control feedback system so the

devices create a maximum temperature for the drink

regardless of the ambient temperature. Thermochromic

temperature labels will be incorporated to indicate when a

product is hot. Costs will come down and product quality

will go up, so the future is promising, particularly for

direct steam heating.

If individual self-cooling beverage cans are to become

commonplace, this will likely require the development of

cost-effective miniaturized ‘‘drop-in’’ modules using heat

pump technology where the heat produced inside the

beverage container can be absorbed by phase change

materials, as in the concept sketch of Figure 8.

MORE EFFECTIVE USE OF PRODUCTS

Food waste is a major problem for the developed world and

one that smart packaging can help reduce. Food

Figure 8. Self-cooling packaging in the future might utilize

drop-in modules that rely on water evaporation/heat pump tech-

nology for their cooling effect.

SMART PACKAGING 1129

degradation kinetics are overwhelmingly determined by

the storage temperature, not by the storage time. Since

the majority of perishable packed food has a ‘‘best before’’

or ‘‘use-by’’ date, indicating storage time and not tempera-

ture, the result is that much perfectly edible and safe-to-

eat food is thrown away by consumers because it has

reached its printed ‘‘use-by’’ date, regardless of actual

condition.

Accurate shelf-life data can be provided to the consu-

mer by smarter food packaging having color change labels

that integrate the passage of time and the various storage

temperature excursions, changing color when a composite

sum of exposure has been reached. Up to now, with

one exception, these time-temperature indicators (TTIs)

have met with signiﬁcant retailer resistance but are now

close to wider commercialization according to many devel-

opers: Vitsab in Sweden, Avery Dennison in the USA,

OnVu in Europe, Cryolog in France, and TEMPTIME in

France and the USA.

The most successful and longest-running application is

for the Fresh-Check

label from TEMPTIME, which has

been in use for at least 15 years by the French super-

market Monoprix, and now can be found on more than 400

different products. An example on a minced beef patty is

shown in Figure 9. When the central bull’s eye of the ‘‘Puce

Fraı

cheur’’ label turns darker than the outer layer, the

product is no longer safe to eat. Details of TTIs and

other freshness color change indicators for foods such as

ﬁsh, seafood, and poultry are discussed and reviewed in

reference 1.

Some smart packaging developments have taken in-

spiration from Nature, where there are many color-change

chemical reactions at work associated with food degrada-

tion and ripening that can be borrowed and applied to

consumer packaging. As an example, the ripening of many

fruit is accompanied by the emission of ethylene gas—

easily detected by animals but not by humans, who there-

fore have real difﬁculty in deciding whether certain types

of fruit are ripe in the absence of a color change. So ripe

bananas are easy to spot, but fruit like winter pears,

avocados, and melons are not.

Using a color change label that is responsive chemically

to ethylene inside the pack creates a smart package that

informs the consumer when pears are ready to eat and at a

certain level of ripeness (Figure 10). Since fruit and

vegetables are a major source of post-consumer food waste

(11), this innovation ought not only to help consumers

enjoy fruit more but also reduce the tendency for consu-

mers to throw away unripe or overripe fruit.

The drive to use smarter packaging to reduce environ-

mental impact by ensuring a more complete utilization of

food products by consumers has been extended to

‘‘hard-to-get-out’’ packaging. High-shouldered containers

and packaging with sharp internal angles are typically

difﬁcult to empty completely, and the last 5–10% of

product is generally discarded with the packaging

as consumers ‘‘give up’’ on getting the last of the

product out. Packaging containing viscous food products

is also difﬁcult to empty completely, and this has

triggered the development of non-stick superhydrophobic

internal surfaces based on the ‘‘Lotus Effect’’ (12),

which allow containers to be more completely evacuated

(Figure 11).

Figure 9. The French supermarket group Monoprix has used

time–temperature indicator (TTI) labels on perishable foods in

their stores for more than 15 years.

Figure 10. A pack of four Concorde pears with active ripeness

indicator. The label inside the pack changes color from dark red to

yellow as the pears ripen.

1130 SMART PACKAGING

Metal aerosol cans are smart packaging innovation

leaders in the household and cleaning market. The

Mortein ‘‘SmartSeekert’’ insecticide aerosol can provides

improved effectiveness over conventional aerosol spray

cans since the spray is electrostatically charged through

a specially engineered nozzle each time the insecticide is

used, improving insect ‘‘kill’’ by electrostatic attraction

(Figure 12). Not only is the product more effective and

lasts longer, but the packaging contributes to reducing the

environmental impact associated with insecticide use

within the home.

PROVIDING CLEARER, MORE EFFECTIVE

COMMUNICATION

Smart packaging offers the opportunity to dramatically

improve the communication aspects of the human/packa-

ging interface. For brands this offers the opportunity to

strengthen the emotion connection with the consumer—

via, for example, story-telling related to the provenance or

history and traditions of the product. But to communicate

more effectively, there needs to be a movement away from

text-based communication toward the greater use of vi-

sual and audio information on packaging. Both at point of

sale and during subsequent use and disposal, there are

opportunities for packaging to inform about the utility and

characteristics of the product, such as

. the product, ingredients, and attributes,

. the way the product works or is best used,

. for pharmaceuticals, when and how to take the

product.

It is expected that these communication packaging inno-

vations will be strongly driven by advances in technologies

such as nanotechnology, biomimetics (learning from

Nature), electroluminescent, and other display technolo-

gies and printed electronics.

Advances in package communication that provide

sound and vision is possible using conventional silicon

device circuitry with LED or electroluminescent (EL)

illumination and sound chip technology driven by button

cell battery power. This exists today but is going to add a

dollar or two to the cost of a package, depending on

complexity, putting it out of bounds for all but high

value products. As an example, sound and EL label

illumination effects, stressing the history and tradition

of rum making in Barbados, can be found on the bottle of

the 10-year old Barbadian rum Coyopa, which retails for

around $50.

Figure 12. Smart packaging in aerosol form. Improved insecti-

cide performance and less environmental impact results from

packaging that electrostatically charges the insecticide particles.

Figure 11. Smarter packaging can contribute to reducing post-

consumer food waste—in this example by ensuring less residual

food is left in the package when it is empty.

SMART PACKAGING 1131

But real communication opportunities need not wait for

the commercialization of cost-effective printed electronics

on packaging, although these will come. Advances in

nonelectronic technologies such as color-change chemis-

try, lenticular graphics, and data matrix bar codes can

today offer a conduit to better story-telling about a brand

product’s attributes, provenance, and how the product can

be used or can provide useful product information in an

easily understandable communication format for the

consumer.

As already discussed, the current ubiquitous printed

date coding system on perishable food is fatally ﬂawed and

there is currently a move toward more accurate time-

temperature colour change labeling. Eventually color-

change chemistry will give way to low-cost printed

electronics on labels, leading to electronic self-adjusting

‘‘use-by’’ dates and displays providing the important

technical breakthrough for smart packaging, leading to a

dramatically improved user interface with food packaging

of the future (13).

Simple communication about the beneﬁts of using a

product can be visually and effectively represented

through lenticular graphics. As an example, the no-spill

medication for children sold across the United States

under the ElixSure brand features a lenticular label on

the outer paperboard carton that shows two images of

spoons that ﬂip back and forth, signaling ‘‘spill-proof’’ to

the consumer (Figure 13).

Combining lenticular graphics with conventional sili-

con sound chip technology can augment printed instruc-

tions and improve communication effectiveness about

product use in a powerful way. ‘‘Smokey Eye—the Talking

Palette’’ eye makeup from Stila Cosmetics (Figure 14)

comes in a kit that not only visually shows the eye before

and after application by means of a lenticular graphic but

also instructs consumers in a step-by-step audio process at

the press of a button.

Compliance packaging for pharmaceuticals is an act ive

development area for electronic smart packaging, and

several devices are commercial and have recently

been discussed (14). As an example, the Med- ict Smart

Package uses an onboard CPU embedd ed in a blister

package to record each time a pill or capsule is removed.

The RFID tag r ecords the time for later analysis, such as

at repeat prescription time or on a fol low-up visit to a

health center, when the information can be downloaded

through a 13.56-MHz RF wireless reader and displayed

graphically. When used for clinical trials, at the end of

the trial period the patient returns the blister pack-

age and the information is downloaded to a database

(Figure 15 ). A second variant is a smart medication bottle

termed eCAPt. It reminds the patient when the next dose

is due and records the time the patient opens the bottle to

remove the tablet or capsule, without active patient

input.

CLOSING REMARKS

Smart packaging need not use new technologies or be

complex to offer real customer beneﬁts and improved

levels of convenience in today’s crowded marketplace—

considerable scope exists for using today’s technologies

in more imaginative ways. The more extensive use of

Figure 13. Increased ease-of-use and accuracy of dos-

ing is provided by this spill-resistant medicine for

children. The outer packaging communicates the non-

spill characteristics of the formulation by lenticular

graphics.

1132 SMART PACKAGING

lenticular graphics and data matrix bar codes are just two

possibilities. But it is expected that new technologies,

many becoming available for the ﬁrst time in the next

few years such as nanotechnology, printed electronic dis-

plays, and batteries, will hugely boost the capabilities of

smart packaging.

For some market sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and

healthcare, smart packaging will be as much about improv-

ing the human interface as about providing new function-

ality. The growing demands for information about the

product will force an abandonment of printed text on pack-

aging as the principal means of communication. Packaging

will be capable of sensing, speaking, and displaying, and

hence of warning the consumer of, for example, problem

ingredients. No longer will seniors struggle to open phar-

maceutical packaging or forget to take their medication. All

age groups will beneﬁt from these future packaging ad-

vances, many of which will be electronic in nature.

Consumer beneﬁts will ultimately drive smart packa-

ging developments and must be clearly communicated to

Figure 14. Electronic smart packaging plus lenticular

graphics provides full sound and visual instructions to

consumers with this cosmetic eye make-up palette.

Figure 15. Electronic smart packaging from Informa-

tion Mediary helps and assists patients to be compliant

in their pharmaceutical regimes. [Reproduced with per-

mission from Information Mediary Corp (IMC).]

SMART PACKAGING 1133

the consumer. On-the-go as a way of life seems to show no

signs of abating and in all likelihood consumers will

become even more mobile and time pressured. In this

brave new world, untapped opportunities exist for smart

packaging to offer new and improved levels of beneﬁts and

convenience.

Cost-effective smart materials and systems develop-

ment will perhaps one day realize the truly interactive

package that greets the consumer at supermarket aisles,

plays music, or even ﬂashes the brand logo of the product

in bright lights as an inducement to purchase. Once

purchased and back in the home, the labelling and com-

munication devices on the package will additionally pro-

vide an interaction with smart inventory systems, smart

storage/disposal and smart cooking equipment in the

kitchen—as is happening already, for example, with mi-

crowaveable convenience meals.

Smart packaging can be considered as a natural pro-

gression in package innovation for many fast moving

consumer goods (FMCGs). After all, competition for shelf

space has never been more intense, and the competition

arena is increasingly moving from media to the point-of-

purchase making packaging more important than ever

before.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. J. Kerry and P. Butler, eds., Smart Packaging Technologies for

Fast Moving Consumer Goods, John Wiley & Sons, Chiche-

ster, UK, 2008.

2. P. Butler, Consumer Smart Packaging, IDTechEx, Cambridge,

2005.

3. Productscan

data. Web information available at http://

www.productscan.com/news/news_mouse04.pdf. Accessed

May 7, 2008.

4. Wikipedia deﬁnition. Web information available at http://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrap_rage. Accessed May 7, 2008.

5. BBC news report. Web information available at http://

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3456645.stm. Accessed May 7,

2008.

6. ‘‘Packaging It Can Drive You Nuts—The Most Infuriating

Food and Drink Packaging, as Voted by Readers,’’ Health

Which?, 18–21 (October 2000).

7. Squeezeopent. Web information available at http://www.

squeezeopen.com. Accessed May 7, 2008.

8. ElectReleaset. Web information available at http://www.

eiclabs.com. Accessed May 7, 2008.

9. Steam To Go. Web information available at http://www.

steamtogo.com. Accessed May 7, 2008.

10. CoolKeg. W eb information available at http://www.coolsystem.

de. Accessed May 7, 2008.

11. WRAP Research Report, April 2008. Web information avail-

able at http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/index.html. Accessed

May 7, 2008.

12. Wikipedia deﬁnition. Web information available at http://en.

wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_effect. Accessed May 7, 2008.

13. Packaging Materials & Technologies Ltd. Web information

available at http://www.smartpackaging.co.uk/UseByDating

Article.pdf. Accessed May 7, 2008.

14. Reference 2, pp. 148–151.

SMART PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR

BEVERAGE PRODUCTS

JOSEPH P. K ERRY

Department of Food and

Nutritional Sciences, University

College Cork, Ireland

INTRODUCTION

The beverage industry constitutes one of largest sectors

within the global consumer packaging market and has

been at the forefront in pioneering the development of

novel packaging concepts or through the adoption of new

technologies as they relate to innovative packaging solu-

tions. Today, some of the leading global product brands in

consumer goods are beverages. Beverages are now no

longer seen as merely thirst-quenching products but as

vehicles for delivering functional nutrition that promotes

health and well-being through the incorporation of ‘‘well-

ness’’ components such as vitamins, minerals, phyto-

chemical extracts, pre- and pro-biotics, and so on, into

beverages. Water-based, milk-based, and juice-based bev-

erages, which continue to grow in popularity, are seen as

natural and ideal carriers of such components. Equally,

the development of beverage product lines where ﬂavor,

among other organoleptic properties, need to be created or

controlled is another key area in beverage product devel-

opment. In the future, nanotechnology promises to yield

new solutions to key challenges for the beverage industry,

just as it is likely to impact the food industry. Research

and development currently underway to improve the

beverage product itself includes the development of func-

tional beverages, in-pack nutrient delivery systems, and

methods for optimizing beverage appearance, such as

color, ﬂavor, and consistency (1). Additionally, nanotech-

nology will also be used to affect the beverage pack as

well—For example, by enhancing barrier properties, light-

weighting plastic bottles but improving mechanical

strengths and heat resistances, providing mechanisms to

help packaging to degrade or biodegrade in the environ-

ment, and producing packaging materials that have an

enhanced and associated hygiene status (2).

The use of smart packaging as a novel marketing tool is

another means by which this technology can be effectively

harnessed. For example, the development and use of

fragrances as packaging components in an attempt to

attract the consumers’ attention to high-value food and

beverage products is one such approach (3). Additionally,

as consumers are confronted by a barrage of ever increas-

ing advertising mechanisms, the consequence is that the

traditional use of television, radio, and print advertising

as a means of commercializing products is losing effec-

tiveness; consequently, novel marketing techniques are

developing to explore new advertising mechanisms in an

attempt to get brand and product noticed. One such

approach appears to be targeting as many of the ﬁve

senses as possible, all of which are delivered directly

through the product packaging (4). Issues pertaining to

tradition, luxury, and high-end beverage products such as

1134 SMART PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR BEVERAGE PRODUCTS

reinforcement of consumer appeal, tamper evidence, coun-

terfeiting, and brand protection are also highly topical

areas of interest within the beverage industry.

Many of the issues described above are being addressed

through the use of smart packaging technologies, and

these are discussed subsequently and in greater detail.

GAS-RELEASE PACKAGING

One of the most common and widely adopted forms of

innovative packaging is the gas-releasing ‘‘widget’’ devel-

oped originally for canned and bottled beer products, one

of the best known being Guinness stout (Figure 1). This

technology was developed to provide a draught beer for

the consumer, so that pub-quality beer (having more body,

more effervescence, and a thicker and creamier head)

could be experienced by the consumer in the comfort of

their own home. The widget functions by releasing CO

from some of the beer in order to create the head. The

widget that is used in canned beer consists of a hollow

nitrogen-gas-containing plastic sphere which is 3 cm in

diameter and has a tiny hole in it, while that used in

bottled product is cylindrical in shape and approximately

7 cm long with winged appendages to prevent the widget

from exiting through the neck of the bottle. In the case of

Figure 1. Bottled draught Guiness containing

widget technology.

SMART PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR BEVERAGE PRODUCTS 1135

canned product, the widget sphere is added to the can

before the can is sealed, where it ﬂoats on the surface of

the beer with the hole just slightly below the surface (5).

Prior to sealing the can, a small shot of liquid nitrogen is

added to the beer; this evaporates during the rest of the

canning process and pressurizes the can. As pressure

increases in the can, beer is slowly forced into the sphere

through the hole, compressing the nitrogen inside

the sphere. When the can is opened, the pressure in-

side the can immediately drops and the compressed gas

inside the sphere forces beer out through the tiny hole into

the additional surrounding beer. This agitation causes a

chain reaction of bubble formation throughout the beer;

the CO

that is dissolved in the beer forms tiny bubbles

that rise to the surface which form the head. The presence

of dissolved nitrogen allows for smaller bubbles to be

formed, which consequently produces the creaminess

associated with the head of the product (5). This result

can be explained because the smaller bubbles in the

product need a higher internal pressure to balance

the greater surface tension which is inversely proportional

to the radius of the bubbles. Achieving this higher pres-

sure is not possible by merely using dissolved carbon

dioxide because the much greater solubility of this gas

compared to nitrogen would create an unacceptably large

head. The result, when the can is then poured out, is a

surging mixture in the glass of very small gas bubbles and

liquid, just as is the case with certain types of draught

beer. Not only does the nitrogen make the beer creamier

and produce a better head, it also protects against oxida-

tion. Consequently, the brewer can permit the beer to be

less carbonated (5). The ‘‘canned draught’’ products have

levels of carbonation similar to those in cask-conditioned

ales, and they have less than half those in some bottled

beers.

Apart from Guinness, other breweries have since come

up with their own widget designs, which were introduced

to draught beer in 1992, lager in 1994, and cider in 1997.

In 2002, the Kenco Ice Cappio coffee drink from Kraft

Foods, which contained a widget, was launched in the

United Kingdom. When the can was opened, the widget

produced a creamy head of froth on the beverage (6). As

has been shown, this technology has proven itself but yet

has enormous potential because it also lends itself to

application in other segments such as mixed milk drinks

and milk shakes, yogurt drinks, fruit juice-based drinks

and smoothies, and coffees. For Kenco Ice Cappio, Ball

Packaging Europe also inserted plastic capsules in 0.25-L

cans. A relatively new cappuccino cocktail is focused on

the Ball Packaging Europe can: ‘‘Cafe Kiss,’’ which is a

cappuccino drink containing vodka, was launched on the

UK market in a 200-mL Slimline can in 2006. A capsule-

style widget inside the can ensures that the typical

cappuccino froth head is produced when the can is opened.

The coffee cocktail can be primarily sourced from British

retail chains Tesco and Spar (7).

Future developments of the widget may incorporate

elements of nanotechnology; for example, the external

surface of the widget could be expected to provide a site

for nucleation, or a liquid or active agent could be en-

capsulated within the widget. The widget could also offer

prolonged bubble release and create other ‘‘theater effects’’

during opening and consumption (2).

FLAVOR RELEASE PACKAGING

Other smart packaging devices may be used to release

ﬂavors and aromas into beverage products at the point of

consumption so as to create or maintain product intensity

and quality. Companies have already incorporated scents

directly into plastic-based containers so that consumers

can smell, for example, the aroma of freshly ground coffee

without opening the product. Newly developed scented

ink, meanwhile, is allowing ads and catalogues to capture

a consumer’s attention with an unsuspecting whiff, using

a technology beyond your father’s scratch-’n-sniff (4).

Fragrances and deodorants for plastics are used in a

variety of applications and are playing a growing role in

marketing food and beverage packaging and in consumer

products for the home (3). Olfactory scientists say that

using scent is smart marketing. Of all the human senses,

smell has the most direct pathway to the emotional center

of the brain (4).

The incorporation of aromas into the polymer material

can be used to attract consumers when the package is

opened, and also to balance any detrimental effects of

aroma loss (8). AddMaster recently developed a chocolate

fragrance for use in polyethylene packaging of chocolate-

ﬂavored milk-based drinks that is intended to create an

‘‘in-store awareness’’ of the product (3). Also, a new aroma

and ﬂavor-releasing technology for packaging is being

tested in consumer trials in bottled water and nutritional

food packaging applications in the United States (9). A

U.S. company, ScentSational Technologies, is behind the

product, which is also known as ScentSational (Figure 2).

This patented ﬂavor and brand-enhancing packaging

incorporates aromatic qualities directly into closures (10).

Pasteurization generally burns off what is known as

top notes, or the aroma notes in beverages traditionally

associated with freshness (10). Additionally, aromas

strongly associated with certain packaged foods and bev-

erages are not statically stable; consequently, they become

altered chemically over time, resulting in the generation

of different and sometimes undesirable odors. The aromas

that ScentSational uses remain stable because the mole-

cules are, essentially, encased in plastic (4). ScentSational

essentially replaces the top notes lost from products

during processing, handling, and storage through the

insertion of food grade ﬂavors that are FDA-approved

and generally recognized as safe (GRAS). These ﬂavors

are mixed with polymers during the injection molding of

closures or during the manufacture of plastic-based liners

and seals for metal closures (10). The plastic used gradu-

ally emits volatiles that are responsible for the speciﬁc

aromas produced. It has been reported that these aromas

persist for approximately a month and actively scent

whatever food or liquid product is in close proximity to

the packaging material (4).

ScentSational’s technology is based on the premise that

foods and beverages contained in packaging that smells

better will taste better. The technology works using the

1136 SMART PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR BEVERAGE PRODUCTS

science of taste. With the exception of sweet, sour, bitter,

salt, and Umami, all other taste is a result of the sense of

smell. When someone drinks a beverage, the liquid creates

vapors inside the mouth that travel up the retro-nasal

canal where it eventually hits the olfactory bulb. It is here

that these ﬂavor vapors are interpreted as taste by the

brain (10).

NutriSystem, a leading marketer of weight manage-

ment products, recommends that users of its products

drink at last eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily to help

ﬂush out toxins produced when body chemistry changes as

weight is lost (11). To make the challenge a little easier,

the company sells a water bottle ﬁtted with a closure

infused with another product also produced by ScentSa-

tional Technologies called CompelAroma

. This product

encapsulates substances within the structure of a plastic

package that emits an aroma during heating and after

opening. This gives the water contained in the bottle a

speciﬁc taste, even though no ﬂavorants have been added

to the product (11).

A Pensylvania-based beverage ﬁrm, Aroma Water,

LLC, licenses the technology from ScentSational Technol-

ogies to produce Aroma Watert in either a lemon–lime or

mandarin orange scent. Both ‘‘ﬂavors’’ are approved by the

Food and Drug Administration (Figure 2). The aroma of a

particular ﬂavor can affect the sense of taste. For Nutri-

System, CompelAroma

is added to the closure of the

water bottle as it is injection molded. The closure emits

an aroma (currently lemon, peach, or berry) that in effect

deceives the taste buds into believing that the water is

ﬂavored, enhancing the consumer’s enjoyment of water

without adding calories, sweeteners, or preservatives (11).

A recent innovation to make milk more popular with

children has been developed by Unistraw Intl. Pty. Ltd.,

Australia. This company has been engaged for the last

seven years in perfecting a milk-ﬂavoring solution that is

mess-free, convenient, wholesome, and tasty (12). The

patented Unistrawt system enables ﬂavor ‘‘beads’’ to be

dissolved in a beverage as the liquid passes through the

straw. The system has three elements; a straw, ﬁlters, and

ﬂavor beads. The system’s ﬁrst component, the straw, is

made from transparent polypropylene (PP), mixed with a

food-grade plasticizer/toughener that prevents the straw

from cracking or splitting. The straw measures approxi-

mately 0.26 in. diameter and is 7.08 in. long. Filters are

heat-welded into both ends of the straw and use a

patented cone shape that allows an optimal ﬂow of liquid

through the straw while keeping the company’s UniBeads

inside (Figure 3). Each straw holds approximately 4 g of

UniBeads, which are 0.08-in.-diameter round beads that

can be dissolved into a beverage to add ﬂavor, vitamins, or

other ingredients. The UniBeads are manufactured at

Unstraw’s facility in New South Wales, using processes

and equipment developed by the company (12). In Aus-

tralia, the straw is sold under the brand name ‘‘Sipahht.’’

These milk-ﬂavoring straws were designed for the 5- to 15-

year-old target market. The original launch ﬂavors of

Chocolate, Banana, Caramel, and Strawberry have al-

ready been joined by Toffee Apple, Cookies & Cream,

and Choc-Mint. Other applications envisioned for the

Unistrawt system include the delivery of vitamins and

other nutrients, nutraceuticals, and bioactive ingredients

or pharmaceuticals into beverages (12). Sipahht ﬁts

perfectly into the global trend toward healthier and con-

venient products that deliver nutritional beneﬁts in a fun

and novel way (13).

Choice-enabled packaging (patent pending) is now

being marketed by IPIFINI Inc., a Boston-based

Figure 2. Aroma Water, LLC, licenses the technology from ScentSational Technologies to produce Aroma Watert. The cap emits an

aroma (lemon-lime or mandarin orange scent) that tricks the taste buds into believing the water is ﬂavored.

SMART PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR BEVERAGE PRODUCTS 1137