Here comes sustainable packaging for coffee pods and capsules that significantly reduces the amount of aluminum and thus the weight of the package, while preserving the aroma of the coffee intact. Published in Foods* is the study conducted by FLESSOFAB researchers – in collaboration with Dept. of Agricultural Sciences, University Federico II of Naples – to identify the best solutions for the packaging of coffee pods and capsules.
The lipid and volatile components of coffee pods and capsules, packaged in an alternative multilayer film
*[di Giulia Basile, Lucia De Luca, Martina Calabrese, Gianfranco Lambiase, Fabiana Pizzolongo, Raffaele Romano, The Lipidic and Volatile Components of Coffee Pods and Capsules Packaged in an Alternative Multilayer Film, in Foods, Special Issue: Future Perspectives and Challenges in Food Chemistry: Selected Papers from XIII Congresso Nazionale Italiano di Chimica degli Alimenti, 29 Febbraio 2024].
Abstract: Pods and capsules require packaging to ensure optimal coffee preservation. The chemical composition of coffee can undergo quality decay phenomena, especially during storage, in terms of lipid and volatile components. Among coffee packaging, aluminum multilayer is particularly popular. However, aluminum is an unfavorable material because it is not recyclable in a mixed plastic structure, and because it adds weight to the packaging.
In this study, a multilayer film with a reduced aluminum content was used for packaging coffee pods and capsules, compared with standard film with an aluminum layer. The impacts on peroxides and volatile organic compounds of two coffee blends, 100% Coffea arabica L., 50% Coffea arabica L., and 50% Coffea canephora var. robusta L., were studied over a 180-day storage period. The predominant volatile organic compounds detected belonged to the class of furans and pyrazines. Both packaging materials used, for both pod and capsule coffee blends, showed no significant differences for storage purposes.
Thus was born the alternative packaging with less aluminum, which to the same performance as standard packaging adds the advantage of being more sustainable, reducing the weight of the packaging, conveniently for transportation, and preserving the coffee’s aroma intact by the expiration date.
