Application of water-based ink in food packaging

Date: Sep 23 2024 From: Star Color

Food packaging is not only an important barrier to protect food from contamination and damage, but also a key link in conveying product information and enhancing brand image. With the increasing global awareness of environmental protection and consumers' growing concern for health and safety, the environmental friendliness and safety of food packaging materials have become important issues that cannot be ignored. In this context, water-based ink, as an environmentally friendly and non-toxic printing material, is gradually being valued and promoted in the field of food packaging.

Water-based ink is an ink system that uses water as the main solvent, and its environmental characteristics are mainly reflected in non-toxic and non-volatile organic solvent emissions, which meets the requirements of modern industry for green production. In the field of food packaging, the application of water-based ink not only helps reduce environmental pollution, but also ensures the safety of packaging materials and meets consumers' demand for healthy food packaging.

Basic Overview of Waterborne Ink

Water based ink is mainly composed of water-soluble resins, organic pigments, solvents (mainly water), and related additives. Among them, water-soluble resin serves as a binder, responsible for dispersing pigment particles in water and attaching them to the surface of the substrate; Organic pigments give ink color; The solvent plays a role in regulating ink viscosity, drying speed, and other properties. Due to the use of water as a solvent, water-based inks produce almost no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the printing process, greatly reducing their harm to the environment and human health.
Application of water-based ink in food packaging

Application of water-based ink in food packaging

The advantages of water-based ink in food packaging

Healthy and harmless: Water based ink does not contain harmful volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, and is harmless to the health of operators. It also meets food safety standards and can directly or indirectly come into contact with food. This characteristic gives water-based ink a unique advantage in the field of food packaging.

Good printing performance: Water based ink has bright colors, strong adhesion, wear resistance, and water resistance, which can meet the high requirements of food packaging for printing quality. Water based ink is suitable for various food packaging materials, such as plastic, paper, cardboard, etc., providing more choices and possibilities for food packaging.

Environmental protection and energy conservation: Compared to solvent based inks, water-based inks reduce the generation of harmful waste during use and lower environmental pollution. The drying process of water-based ink usually does not require high-temperature baking, thus saving energy and costs.

The specific application of water-based ink in food packaging

Plastic packaging printing: Water based ink is widely used in the printing of plastic films such as LDPE, HDPE, BOPP, PVC, PET, etc. These film materials are often used to make vest bags, clothing bags, garbage bags, courier bags, and food grade packaging such as snack bags. The environmental friendliness and good printing performance of water-based ink make these plastic packaging not only aesthetically pleasing, but also meet the requirements of environmental protection and safety.

Printing on cardboard boxes and paper bags: As important components of food packaging, the printing quality of cardboard boxes and paper bags directly affects consumers' willingness to purchase. The application of water-based ink in cardboard and paper bag printing not only ensures the aesthetics and durability of packaging, but also reduces environmental pollution. The easy drying property of water-based ink also improves printing efficiency and reduces production costs.

Flexographic printing and gravure printing: These two printing methods have wide applications in the field of food packaging. The use of water-based ink in these two printing methods not only improves printing quality, but also reduces harm to the environment and human health. Especially in flexographic printing, water-based ink has strong adaptability and stable printing effect, and has been widely recognized and applied.

Special instructions for water-based food grade ink

For packaging materials that come into direct contact with food, such as beverage bottles, food labels, etc., stricter water-based food grade inks are required. This type of ink is purer in composition and does not contain any harmful elements such as lead, mercury, cadmium, etc. At the same time, its additives and raw materials must comply with food safety standards (such as FDA) to ensure that the ink does not contaminate food when in contact with it.
Special instructions for water-based food grade ink

The development trend of water-based ink in food packaging

1. Further improvement of environmental performance
With the increasing global awareness of environmental protection, the environmental performance of water-based inks will be further improved. This includes reducing the VOC (volatile organic compound) content in ink, improving the biodegradability of ink, and reducing environmental pollution during production and use. As a representative of environmentally friendly ink, water-based ink has the characteristic of no or low VOC content, which makes its application in the field of food packaging more in line with environmental requirements.

2. Technological innovation drives application expansion
Technological innovation is the key to promoting the widespread application of water-based ink in food packaging. With breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies such as nanotechnology and intelligent responsive materials, the performance of water-based inks will be further improved. Nanotechnology can improve the dispersibility and stability of water-based inks, and enhance printing quality; These technological innovations will make the application of water-based inks in food packaging more extensive and in-depth.

3. Policy support and standard improvement
In order to promote the development of green packaging, governments around the world have introduced relevant policies and standards to restrict or prohibit the use of highly polluting packaging materials, and encourage the research and application of environmentally friendly packaging materials. The improvement of these policies and standards will provide stronger support and guarantee for the application of water-based inks in food packaging.

Water based ink, as an environmentally friendly and non-toxic printing material, has important application value and development prospects in the field of food packaging. Its advantages of being healthy, harmless, having good printing performance, and being environmentally friendly and energy-saving have made it widely used in fields such as plastic packaging, paper box and bag printing, as well as flexographic printing and gravure printing. In the future, with the continuous innovation of technology and the expansion of the market, the application of water-based ink in the field of food packaging will be more extensive and in-depth, making greater contributions to promoting the green development of food packaging.

Zhongzhixing water-based ink has bright colors and good stability, which can ensure the long-lasting and bright color effect of food packaging printing. This plays an important role in enhancing the visual effect of the product and attracting consumers' attention. Meanwhile, excellent color expression also makes food packaging more eye-catching on shelves, helping to enhance brand image and product sales.