Printing frozen food packaging with water-based ink
Date: Apr 14 2025 From: Star Color Views:
In the field of food packaging printing, frozen food packaging has unique environmental requirements, imposing strict standards on printing inks. As an eco-friendly option, water-based inks have seen continuous performance improvements in recent years, gaining increasing attention for their application in frozen food packaging printing. The answer to whether they can be used is a resounding yes, as detailed below from multiple perspectives.
Meeting the Low-Temperature Requirements of Frozen Food Packaging
Frozen foods are typically stored and transported at -18℃ or lower, requiring printing inks to exhibit excellent low-temperature resistance.
Huizhou Zhongzhixing's water-based inks, specially designed for frozen food packaging, maintain clear and intact printed patterns without fading or peeling after low-temperature impact tests (e.g., storage at -20℃ for 72 hours). At the micro level, the molecular structure of these inks remains stable in low temperatures, ensuring that the binding force between pigments and resins does not weaken, thus guaranteeing long-lasting print quality.
Strong Adhesion for Durable Printing Results
Adhesion between ink and packaging materials is critical for frozen food packaging. Through formula optimization, water-based inks achieve excellent adhesion across diverse substrates:
- Plastic Films (PET/PP): On low-energy substrates (38 dynes PET/PP), water-based inks achieve an adhesion of ≥3.5N/cm (3M tape test), ensuring patterns remain intact during subsequent processing, storage, and use.
- Paper-Based Materials: The ink penetrates paper fibers to form mechanical anchoring and chemical bonds, creating a strong physical and chemical adhesion. Printed patterns on frozen food cartons remain intact even after folding and friction, with no ink peeling.
Feasibility Proven by Real-World Applications
Practical experience from numerous food enterprises confirms the viability of water-based inks in frozen food packaging:
A leading domestic food manufacturer uses water-based inks for packaging frozen dumplings and tangyuan. Long-term monitoring shows that the printed packaging maintains vibrant colors and clear patterns after multiple low-temperature storage and transportation cycles, with no ink-related issues detected.
The Environmental Edge of Water-Based Inks
Traditional inks pose significant environmental and health risks due to high volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. According to the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, traditional packaging printing emits 100–300 kg of VOCs per ton of printed products. These substances contribute to photochemical smog and threaten human health via inhalation and skin contact.
In contrast, water-based inks use water as the primary solvent, reducing VOC emissions by 80–90% compared to traditional inks. This drastic reduction aligns with strict global environmental standards for food packaging, offering a cleaner production process that minimizes pollution from the source.
Zhongzhixing Water-Based Inks: The Optimal Choice for Frozen Food Packaging
Huizhou Zhongzhixing Color Technology Co., Ltd., a national high-tech enterprise, stands out as an ideal provider of water-based inks for frozen food packaging, leveraging its technical R&D and product performance:
1. Food-Grade Safety Certification for Quality Assurance
Zhongzhixing’s water-based inks are certified by the U.S. FDA (food contact safety), EU RoHS, and SGS, with migration levels controlled below 0.01ppb (superior to the EU standard of 0.1mg/kg). Free of harmful solvents like benzene and ketones, they prevent substance migration into food even in extreme cold, making them suitable for high-safety products such as infant frozen food and quick-frozen seafood.
2. Exceptional Low-Temperature Resistance for Harsh Environments
Using specially modified water-based polyurethane resins and antifreeze additives, these inks maintain film flexibility and adhesion at -25℃. Test data shows that after freezing at -20℃ for 72 hours, the ink layer 脱落 area is <5% (3M tape test), far exceeding the industry average (≤15%).
3. Full Substrate Adaptability for Diverse Packaging Needs
Zhongzhixing inks adapt to various materials through surface tension regulation and multi-resin compounding:
- Paper Packaging: Rapid fiber penetration creates strong physical anchoring, with friction resistance exceeding 500 cycles (3M test), suitable for stacked and transported frozen food cartons.
- Plastic Films: Achieve 4.0N/cm adhesion on 38-dyne PET/PP (3M 600 tape test, no 脱落), surpassing the industry standard of 3.5N/cm for composite and stretched frozen food bags.
- Composite Materials: Nano coupling agents solve adhesion issues on aluminum foil composites, with an ink layer retention rate of 98% in peeling tests.
4. Efficient Process Adaptation for Productivity Enhancement
Compatible with flexographic and gravure printing, these inks feature a low-viscosity formula (25±5 seconds, Ford Cup #4) and fast drying (≤2 seconds at 50℃), supporting high-speed production lines (≥80m/min). A frozen food packaging printer reported a 20% efficiency boost and annual environmental cost savings of ~300,000 RMB after adopting Zhongzhixing inks.
Conclusion
Frozen food packaging printing demands inks with superior safety, low-temperature resistance, and process adaptability—and water-based inks deliver on all counts. As a leading provider of eco-friendly ink solutions, Zhongzhixing’s water-based inks offer food-grade safety, exceptional cold resistance, and universal substrate adaptability, providing a high-quality, efficient choice for the industry. With growing consumer focus on food safety and sustainable packaging, choosing Zhongzhixing inks not only ensures product quality but also aligns with the global trend toward green printing.
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