The Chronicle of Containers and Enclosures
A Brief History of Packaging Materials: From Nature to Industry
The history of packaging materials is a fascinating journey that spans thousands of years, closely tied to advancements in food preservation and transportation.
Early Food Preservation and Packaging: Initially, food was consumed where it was found, with families and villages being self-sufficient. Nature provided containers for early humans, such as gourds, shells, and leaves. As civilizations evolved, grasses and later reeds were used to make baskets for storing food surpluses.
The first major breakthrough in food preservation packaging came in the form of canning, developed by Nicolas Appert in the early 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars. Appert discovered that food sealed in glass jars and boiled would not spoil if the seal remained intact, allowing food to be preserved for months or years—a critical advantage for feeding armies in winter.
Pre-Industrial Era: Glass-making began in 7000 B.C. as an offshoot of pottery and was industrialized in Egypt in 1500 B.C. By this time, glass containers were being used for various purposes, including food storage.
Metal containers, such as tin cans, were first used for snuff in London in the 1760s. The process of tin plating was discovered in Bohemia in A.D. 1200, and cans of iron, coated with tin, were known in Bavaria as early as the 14th century.
Industrial Era Developments: The industrial revolution brought advances in materials like iron and steel. Although primarily impacting infrastructure and machinery, improvements in metal production (e.g., Bessemer and Siemens processes in the mid-19th century) enabled large-scale manufacturing of tin cans, which became an important packaging format for preserving and transporting food.
20th Century Innovations: The advent of aseptic packaging in the 20th century marked another leap. Starting with sterile filters in 1914 and becoming commercially viable by 1948 with systems like the Dole Aseptic Canning System, aseptic processing involved sterilizing food and packaging separately before sealing under sterile conditions. This improved shelf life dramatically and reduced the need for refrigeration during transport and storage.
By the late 20th century, flexible films and specialized packaging for ready meals and fresh produce were developed, reflecting changing consumer and industry needs for convenience, shelf life, and effective protection during transportation. Companies like KM Packaging emerged in the 1980s and 1990s to supply these advanced food packaging solutions, including lidding films for aluminum trays.
Materials and Packaging Evolution: In 1868, interior enamels for cans were developed. The keywind metal tear-strip for can opening was developed in 1866. Double seam closures using a sealing compound were not available until 1888.
Collapsible, soft metal tubes for packaging, known as "flexible packaging," were first used for artist's paints in 1841. Commercial paper bags were first manufactured in Bristol, England, in 1844, and Francis Wolle invented the bag making machine in 1852 in the United States.
The safe preservation of foods in metal containers was realized in France in the early 1800s, with Nicholas Appert finding that food sealed in tin containers and sterilized by boiling could be preserved for long periods. The first commercial cardboard box was produced in England in 1817, and corrugated paper appeared in the 1850s.
Modern Era: The first aluminum foil containers were designed in the early 1950s. The aluminum can appeared in 1959. The development of the carton was accidental, with the first automatically made carton, now referred to as "semi-flexible packaging," created in the 1870s.
In summary, the history of packaging materials evolved from simple natural containers to sophisticated steel cans, glass jars, and flexible films, profoundly impacting how food is preserved and transported worldwide. These innovations facilitated longer shelf life, safer preservation, and wider distribution, which in turn transformed food consumption patterns and global trade.
In the transition from pre-industrial to industrial era, advancements in materials like iron and steel significantly contributed to the large-scale manufacturing of metal containers, revolutionizing food preservation and packaging.
Finance, technology, and industry collaborated to foster the development of aseptic packaging in the 20th century, enhancing food shelf life and enabling global distribution of fresh produce and ready meals.
