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 Pharmaceutical Packaging |
| A part of the package has to be removed be destructive method before the package can be opened. The missing of the part is a visual indication that the packaging has been opened previously. Pilfer-proof is used to ensure the quantity of the product and the type of the product inside the packaging does not change from the manufacturing process until the consumer purchases the product. |
| The package can not be accidentally opened by a child. This applies normally to screw cap type closures. Instead oft the normal turn required to open a screw cap, another movement has to be added to the process of opening for the cap to open. The push down option is the preferred addition. The child does not comprehend easily the push in the opposite direction will open the packaging. |
The product must be protected from the environment. Light, humidity and moisture are the main enemies of pharmaceutical products whiles in storage.
The environment must be protected from the product. Also this does not directly apply to pharmaceutical packaging it is of vital importance in other branches of the industry. ( acids, alkalines, oils, etc.)
The environment must be protected against the packaging. Normally, the volume of the packaging is much greater than the volume of the product.
The material used for packaging creates a liability on the environment both during its initial manufacture, during its preparation into packaging and during its disposal.
Packaging made of material aggressive to the environment should be avoided. (PVC) Packaging made of multi-component packaging should be avoided. (Laminated Tubes) |
| Desiccants |
A desiccant is a dehumidifying agent which attracts moisture from the atmosphere. It adsorbs and holds particles of water to itself. The three most common types of desiccants are clay, silica gel, and molecular sieve.
Desiccants attract moisture vapour from the atmosphere, adsorb the molecules of water and hold them without changing their physical form. Desiccants are safe, non-toxic and non-dusting sorbent packaging solutions that provide exceptional moisture adsorbing capacity. With a number of desiccant types available, versatile desiccant capsules, packs and bags can protect a variety of packaged products from the effects of moisture including caking, mildew, fermentation, potency loss and decreased shelf life. Desiccants are available with Silica Gel, Indicating Silica Gel, Molecular Sieve, and Indicating Molecular Sieve in addition to active carbon for the elimination of smell and oxygen. |
| Desiccants is a commercially available industrial product used for a wide variety of drying applications in the pharmaceutical, electronics, optics, laboratory, and other fields. Extends shelf life and efficiency of products by preventing moisture damage. In addition to protecting products from moisture, desiccants are also effective at absorbing odors and other elements from the air. |
| Products vulnerable to moisture damage need special protection during storage and transport to ensure that they remain effective. Desiccants provide a simple, dependable and economical solution for preventing moisture damage . A popular desiccant configuration in the pharmaceutical industry, desiccants are also ideal for protecting nutraceuticals, diagnostics, electronics and food. |
- Significantly improves keeping qualities of polyunsaturated fats and oils
- Helps retain fresh-roasted flavor of coffee and nuts
- Prevents oxidation of spice oleoresins present in spices themselves and in seasoned foods
- Prevents oxidation of vitamins A, C and E
- Extends life of pharmaceuticals
- Inhibits mold in natural cheeses and other fermented dairy products
- Delays non-enzymatic browning of fruits and some vegetables
- Inhibits oxidation and condensation of red pigment of most berries and sauces
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- Breads, cookies, cakes, pastries
- Nuts and snacks
- Candies and confectioneries
- Coffee and tea
- Whole fat dry foods
- Processed, smoked and cured meats Cheeses and dairy products
- Dried fruits and vegetable
- Spices and seasonings
- Flour and grain items
- Fresh and precooked pasta and noodles
- Pharmaceuticals and vitamins
- Medical diagnostic kits and devices
- Birdseed and pet food
- Artwork preservation
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Quality: Our absorbers are made underrigourous quality measures with German expertise
Price: Shop our prices and compare.
Availability: We are not back-ordered on our products, and are committed to meeting anticipated demands through the rest of the year.
Selection: We have all sizes for your storage needs.
Technical Support: We know you are serious about your storage. Our technical staff is here to assist you with your preservation packaging. |
| Multisorb deals mostly with three types of desiccants and occasionally with a fourth. The most commonly used desiccants are clay, silica gel and molecular sieve, oxygen adsorbents. |
| Silica gel is silicon dioxide (SiO2). It is a naturally occurring mineral that is purified and processed into either granular or beaded form. As a desiccant, it has an average pore size of 24 angstroms and has a strong affinity for moisture molecules. The silica gel will pull in moisture at temperatures up to 105C. As temperature goes above 100F, the rate of moisture pick-up will slow down but the silica gel will still work. Silica gel performs best at room temperatures (70 to 90F) and high humidity (60 to 90% Rh) and will drop the relative humidity in a container down to around 40% Rh. Silica gel is commonly used in food and pharmaceutical applications as only silica gel has been approved by the FDA for direct contact with these items. |
| Indicating silica gel is a silica gel bead or granule that has been washed with a concentration of cobalt chloride ( a heavy metal salt). The cobalt chloride is a deep blue color when it is dry and turns from blue to purple to pink as it becomes saturated with moisture. Typically, the color changes as the desiccant goes past 8% moisture levels (by weight) and indicates it is time to replace the desiccant. The most typical use for an indicating silica gel is for a moisture sensitive product that will be inspected regularly as it gives a quick visual indication of how well it is doing. |
| Clay desiccants are made from montmorillonite clay which has a special affinity for moisture. Clay is a good basic desiccant that works satisfactorily below approximately 50C. Above 50C, there is a possibility that the clay will give up moisture rather than pulling it in, so anticipated storage and transportation conditions should be considered. The upside to clay is that it is normally the least expensive desiccant per pound. Its appearance is that of small gray pellets. |
Molecular sieve is a synthetic desiccant that has a very strong affinity for moisture molecules. As part of the manufacturing process, the pore size on the molecular sieve particles can be controlled. The most commonly used pore size is 4 angstroms (4A) although 3 angstroms (3A), 5 angstroms (5A) and 10 angstroms (13X) are available. Because the pore size is controllable, molecular sieve can be used for picking up specific gases as well as moisture. Molecular sieve can hold moisture to temperatures well past 230C. Because of its high affinity for moisture, molecular sieve is able to bring the relative humidity in packages down as low as 10% Rh. Molecular sieve eliminates humidity at record breaking speed.
Ideal when moisture needs to be absorbed very quickly, molecular sieves have unique characteristics:
- they absorb molecules based on the polarity difference due to electrostatic attraction
- they have a uniform porous structure enabling molecules to be separated by size |
| although not a desiccant, carbon is often used alone or in blends in packaging applications where odor is an issue for the elimination of odor and O2. |
| Oxygen is everywhere. However, when oxygen is inside pharmaceutical packaging, it can degrade pharmaceutical formulations and decrease shelf life. Oxygen absorbing packets address oxidative degradation in pharmaceutical products, helping to ensure that pharmaceutical products remain effective, even when inevitably exposed to the harmful effects of oxygen. Oxygen also causes reactions in many chemicals and substrates used in in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) products. Oxygen adsorbers help prevent these oxidation reactions, ensuring that diagnostic test kits remain accurate and reliable. This means that manufacturers can protect their products from both oxygen and moisture. It also means that they can address the need for oxygen protection in the packaging, rather than in the drug formulation phase, saving valuable research and launch time. |
Oxygen absorbers are made of a chemical compound, the active ingredient of which is a powdered iron oxide. Our absorbers are completely safe. While they are not edible, they are not toxic. No harmful gases are created and the oxygen does not remove the fresh smell and taste of the product.
When used with proper packaging and sealing, the oxygen in the packaging is greatly reduced. Our absorbers bring the oxygen level down reliably to .01% or less |
Extends shelf life
Prevents growth of aerobic pathogens and spoilage organisms, including mold
Eliminates the need for additives such as BHA, BHT, sulfur dioxide, sorbates, benzoates, etc
Use with gas flushing / vacuum packaging to absorb virtually all oxygen and absorb any oxygen that may permeate the package |
| Although technically they are different situations, for most practical purposes these two terms cover the point at which a desiccant no longer adsorbs moisture. Saturation is when the desiccant is full and even if there were moisture molecules to pick up, the desiccant could not do it. Equilibrium capacity is when the desiccant has pulled so much moisture out of the air that the air retains a stronger hold on the moisture molecules than the desiccant can exert. At equilibrium capacity, adding more desiccant will not bring the Relative humidity any lower. |
| Adsorption and absorption are two different things. Absorption is the chemical integration of one chemical into another. When you drink a glass of water, you are absorbing it, as the water becomes part of you. Adsorption occurs when one substance holds another via physical bonds. If you spill a glass of water on your shirt, it is adsorbed as the fibers will hold the water until heat dries out the shirt. |
There are four sources of moisture contamination inside a product package.
These are: - Moisture trapped in the air inside the package.
- Moisture contained by the packaging material itself such as boxes of carton, paper, or plastic.
- Moisture contained by other material contained in the packaging such as foam, paper, carton, cushioning materials.
- Migration of moisture from outside into the packaging.
Warming up air sucks moisture from its surrounding materials. When air cools, water vapour condenses into dew drops that contaminate your product. All these factors contribute to a product’s environment inside the package and must be carefully considered in determining the right amount of desiccant to be used. |
| You need to use desiccants if your products can possibly be damaged by moisture in the form of corrosion, rust, molds, mildew, fungus, swelling, deliquescence and other undesirable factors affecting product integrity. Industries like electronics, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, metal parts, machine parts, bulk chemicals, leather and food are among those who normally use desiccants as part of their packaging standards. |
| The most efficient and effective way to use desiccant is to keep your product package well-sealed. This will allow the desiccant to work only on air existing inside the package, and will not include new air coming in from outside. Less desiccant is needed, humidity is largely reduced, and desiccant effectivity time is much longer when a well-sealed package is used. |
The Desi-Cap is a small cylinder normally made of a hard type of plastic, filled with silica gel. The humidity enters the silica gel through a carton disk and to a lesser degree through the cylinder wall. Its application is normally inside a bottle or jar . Its active live is during shelf time and after the initial opening of the container until the product is finished.
The Desi-Sac is made of paper or non woven fibre. The humidity enters the silica gel through the bag material. Its application is with strip packages sealed inside an aluminium foil. Its active live is during shelf time and before first opening of the product packaging.
The Desi-Bag is made of woven material. The application is for bulk packaging in Barrels, containers or to electrical Cabinets. Its active life is during transportation and storage of the article to be protected. |
You need a humidity indicator card if you are concerned as to whether or not the desiccant in your package is still active. Desiccant becomes inactive under the following conditions: - if your package is not properly sealed
- if you don't use enough desiccant in your package to draw down the relative humidity
- if the barrier material (i.e., plastic bag) you use to package your product has a high moisture vapor transmission rate (which means that a significant amount of humid air is entering your package through the barrier material itself).
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The largest users of desiccants are the industrial, pharmaceutical, and the electronic components packaging industries. The following list shows examples of the types of industries and products that use desiccant products: Industries | Products | | • Aerospace | • Batteries | | • Automotive | • Bulk powdered chemicals | | • Communications | • Cholesterol tests | | • Dental | • Circuit boards | | • Diagnostic | • Documents and paper storage | | • Electronics | • Electronic components | | • Food packaging | • Foodstuffs | | • Industrial | • Glucose tests | | • Medical | • Industrial equipment | | • Military | • Instruments | | • Nutraceutical | • Leather products | | • Optics | • Medical equipment | | • Packaging | • Metal and machine parts | | • Pet food | • Metal powders | | • Pharmaceutical | • Military instruments and armaments | | • Textiles | • Motors | | • Filmmaking | • Museum storage | | • Oceanographic devices | | • Optical devices | | • Pet foods | | • Photographic equipment and film | | • Powdered or beaded glass | | • Pregnancy tests | | • Relays and communication devices | | • Safes | | • Semiconductors | | • Vitamins |
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