The Importance and Application of Glass Transition Temperature in Food and Packaging Polymers

The glass transition temperature (Tg) is an important physical property in food packaging science as it can help to explain important physicochemical behaviors of food systems. The basic understanding of glass transition phenomenon can be applied for various food operations to optimize processing and storage conditions. The Tg of the polymers used in packaging shows glassy or rubbery nature, permeability and mobility of polymer chains and in terms of the impact on polymer inhibitory properties against gases is of great importance. The polymer materials are soft and rubbery above the Tg and glassy and rigid below the Tg. The higher the Tg of polymer, the temperature range in which the polymer is able to act as a good barrier will be wider. This paper reviews the importance of Tg related to food science, technology and packaging.