1. Introduction

#### 1.1 Food packaging, shelf life, and quality decay rate

According to [1], it is possible to highlight four basic functions for traditional food packaging. The most basic function of packaging is containment, as food products must be contained before they can be moved from one place to another. Furthermore, for many food products, the protection afforded by the package is an essential part of the preservation process. At this regard, packaging protects its contents from the outside environmental effects of water, water vapor, gases, odors, microorganisms, dust, shocks, vibrations, compressive forces, and so on. Packaging allows also primary packages to be assembled into secondary (e.g., cardboard boxes) and tertiary packages (e.g., stretch-wrapped pallets), thus

improving the convenience throughout the supply chain. In this way, the handling of the material is made more functional because a reduced number of containers and loading operations must be handled or carried out, respectively. Finally, packaging can provide the communication necessary for food sailing: as consumers can make purchasing decisions using the numerous clues provided by the graphics and the distinctive shapes of the packaging, there is an old saying that "a package must protect what it sells and sell what it protects."

Material Brief description Advantages Disadvantages

vapors

contents Transparent

Flexible

contents Transparent Inexpensive Lightweight

light

light

Lightweight Improved distribution

efficiency Enhanced end-use convenience

Advantages and disadvantages of typical materials used in wine packaging.

Lightweight Recyclable

Good insulation

Main Operating Conditions That Can Influence the Evolution of Wines during Long-Term Storage

Impermeable to gases and

Odorless and chemically inert Useful for heat sterilization

Brittleness Fragility to internal pressure, impact, and thermal shock Needs a separate closure Limitation in thin glass Heavyweight Transportation costs

Variable permeability to

Poor barrier to gases and

Impacts the organoleptic

Poor barrier to gases and

Not suitable to protect wine for long periods of time When used as primary packaging, it is coated or laminated to improve functional and protective

Migration of chemicals from internal coating to the

Impacts the organoleptic

Poor barrier to light, gases

Incomplete air tightness of

Not suitable to protect wine for long periods of time

quality

vapors

properties

content Hard to recycle

quality

and vapors Easily sorbs aroma compounds, particularly if

hydrophobic

the valve

Not suitable to protect wine for long periods of time Migration of chemicals from

light Limited reuse

vapors

PET to food

Produced in different shapes Variations in glass color can protect light-sensitive

Reusable and recyclable

Variations in PET color can protect light-sensitive

Wide range of physical and optical properties Easy to print

Integrated into production processes where the package is formed, filled, and sealed in the same production line Easy handling by consumers Needs a separate closure

Good barrier properties to

Integrated into production processes where the package is formed, filled, and sealed in the same production line

Efficient, low-cost protection Easy handling by consumers

Good barrier properties to

Integrated into production processes where the package is formed, filled, and sealed in the same production line

Increased cost-effectiveness Easy handling by consumers

Fluid and moldable Produced in different shapes

Soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), calcium oxide (CaO), sodium oxide (Na2O), and several minor additives

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85672

PET [12] Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is combined with terephthalic acid and ethylene

> Tetra Brik® packaging is made up of three raw materials: duplex paper (about 75%), aluminum (about 5%), and low-density polyethylene (about 20%)

The product is sealed in a bag comprising one or more plies of high barrier flexible films, mechanically supported by an external paperboard carton. A valve fitment is attached to the bag through which the product is filled and dispensed

glycol

Glass [10, 11]

Tetra Brik® [13]

Bag-in-Box® (BiB) [14]

Table 1.

211

Overall, packaging is an essential element in food manufacture since it facilitates food management, increases food shelf life, and makes it more acceptable to consumers.

According to [2], "shelf life" can be defined as a finite length of time after production (in some cases after maturation or aging) and packaging during which the food product retains a required level of quality under well-defined storage conditions. In other words, taking for granted the consumer's safety, for any kind of food product, there should be a defined quality level (defined as "acceptability limit") discriminating products that are still acceptable for consumption from those no longer acceptable. Once defined the storage conditions to be used, for each food product, "shelf life" represents the time needed to reach the acceptability limit which is directly influenced by the "quality decay rate" of the stored food.

#### 1.2 Packaging material for wine storage

Nowadays, glass containers are still preferred for wine bottling [3] being them readily recyclable and characterized by a high impermeability to gases and vapors, stability over time, and transparency [4]. On the other hand, because of some objective limitations for the extensive use of glass containers in food industry (i.e., heavy weight, fragility to internal pressure, impact and thermal shock, etc.) [5], there is a worldwide growing demand for alternative solutions to glass also for wine bottling [6]. This with the aim to propose inexpensive packaging resources, practical to use and often marketed as "eco-friendly," particularly in relation to their contributions to waste prevention [3, 7, 8].

For the above reasons, starting from the past two decades, among all the possible packaging materials, an increased utilization of polymeric materials also for wine packaging, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, multilayer Tetra Brik®, and Bag-in-Box (BiB)-type containers, has been observed [1, 9]. Some of the main advantages and disadvantages of typical materials used in wine packaging are reported in Table 1.

#### 1.3 Main storage conditions affecting the quality decay rate of wines

According to [15], wine aging can be defined as the time that goes from the end of winemaking (during which wine is subjected to different operations depending on both the vine and usual winery methodology) to its final consumption. In bottles, the proper aging of wine is linked to the presence of reduced conditions that lead to color changes and to the establishment of desired sensory (olfactory and tasteful) characteristics. During evolution and aging, the contact of wine with oxygen should be limited to the minimum. The time needed to develop such transformation differs among wines and is a function of both starting chemical composition and storage conditions.

Among all the operating conditions that can be selected during long-term wine storage, the main ones involved in the quality decay rate of wines are described below.

Material Brief description Advantages Disadvantages Glass [10, 11] Soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), calcium oxide (CaO), sodium oxide (Na2O), and several minor additives Impermeable to gases and vapors Odorless and chemically inert Useful for heat sterilization Good insulation Produced in different shapes Variations in glass color can protect light-sensitive contents Transparent Reusable and recyclable Brittleness Fragility to internal pressure, impact, and thermal shock Needs a separate closure Limitation in thin glass Heavyweight Transportation costs PET [12] Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is combined with terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol Fluid and moldable Produced in different shapes Flexible Variations in PET color can protect light-sensitive contents Transparent Inexpensive Lightweight Wide range of physical and optical properties Easy to print Integrated into production processes where the package is formed, filled, and sealed in the same production line Easy handling by consumers Needs a separate closure Variable permeability to light Limited reuse Poor barrier to gases and vapors Not suitable to protect wine for long periods of time Migration of chemicals from PET to food Tetra Brik® [13] Tetra Brik® packaging is made up of three raw materials: duplex paper (about 75%), aluminum (about 5%), and low-density polyethylene (about 20%) Good barrier properties to light Integrated into production processes where the package is formed, filled, and sealed in the same production line Lightweight Recyclable Efficient, low-cost protection Easy handling by consumers Impacts the organoleptic quality Poor barrier to gases and vapors Not suitable to protect wine for long periods of time When used as primary packaging, it is coated or laminated to improve functional and protective properties Migration of chemicals from internal coating to the content Hard to recycle Bag-in-Box® (BiB) [14] The product is sealed in a bag comprising one or more plies of high barrier flexible films, mechanically supported by an external paperboard carton. A valve fitment is attached to the bag through which the product is filled and dispensed Good barrier properties to light Integrated into production processes where the package is formed, filled, and sealed in the same production line Lightweight Improved distribution efficiency Enhanced end-use convenience Increased cost-effectiveness Easy handling by consumers Impacts the organoleptic quality Poor barrier to light, gases and vapors Easily sorbs aroma compounds, particularly if hydrophobic Incomplete air tightness of the valve Not suitable to protect wine for long periods of time

Main Operating Conditions That Can Influence the Evolution of Wines during Long-Term Storage DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85672

Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of typical materials used in wine packaging.

improving the convenience throughout the supply chain. In this way, the handling of the material is made more functional because a reduced number of containers and loading operations must be handled or carried out, respectively. Finally, packaging can provide the communication necessary for food sailing: as consumers can make purchasing decisions using the numerous clues provided by the graphics and the distinctive shapes of the packaging, there is an old saying that "a package

Overall, packaging is an essential element in food manufacture since it facilitates food management, increases food shelf life, and makes it more

According to [2], "shelf life" can be defined as a finite length of time after production (in some cases after maturation or aging) and packaging during which the food product retains a required level of quality under well-defined storage conditions. In other words, taking for granted the consumer's safety, for any kind of food product, there should be a defined quality level (defined as "acceptability limit") discriminating products that are still acceptable for consumption from those no longer acceptable. Once defined the storage conditions to be used, for each food product, "shelf life" represents the time needed to reach the acceptability limit which is directly influenced by the "quality decay rate" of the stored food.

Nowadays, glass containers are still preferred for wine bottling [3] being them readily recyclable and characterized by a high impermeability to gases and vapors, stability over time, and transparency [4]. On the other hand, because of some objective limitations for the extensive use of glass containers in food industry (i.e., heavy weight, fragility to internal pressure, impact and thermal shock, etc.) [5], there is a worldwide growing demand for alternative solutions to glass also for wine bottling [6]. This with the aim to propose inexpensive packaging resources, practical to use and often marketed as "eco-friendly," particularly in relation to

For the above reasons, starting from the past two decades, among all the possible packaging materials, an increased utilization of polymeric materials also for wine packaging, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, multilayer Tetra Brik®, and Bag-in-Box (BiB)-type containers, has been observed [1, 9]. Some of the main advantages and disadvantages of typical materials used in wine packaging

According to [15], wine aging can be defined as the time that goes from the end of winemaking (during which wine is subjected to different operations depending on both the vine and usual winery methodology) to its final consumption. In bottles, the proper aging of wine is linked to the presence of reduced conditions that lead to color changes and to the establishment of desired sensory (olfactory and tasteful) characteristics. During evolution and aging, the contact of wine with oxygen should be limited to the minimum. The time needed to develop such transformation differs among wines and is a function of both starting chemical

Among all the operating conditions that can be selected during long-term wine storage, the main ones involved in the quality decay rate of wines are described

1.3 Main storage conditions affecting the quality decay rate of wines

must protect what it sells and sell what it protects."

Advances in Grape and Wine Biotechnology

1.2 Packaging material for wine storage

their contributions to waste prevention [3, 7, 8].

are reported in Table 1.

composition and storage conditions.

below.

210

acceptable to consumers.
