” The essential is invisible to the eyes”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry gave us this powerful reflection in his work The Little Prince and, when recalling it I can’t help smiling while thinking of the paradox found in a sector, the food plastic packaging one, in wich the essential must be necessarily visible to eyes.

Clarity and clearness as much as if it were transparent glass, are the main attributes packaging must have to let our eyes “see” the quality of a packaged fresh product.

To the market, it is not acceptable to have a piece of plastic packaging on which the water drops condensation not only hampers the sight of the food, but also wich may directly boost the soiling of the contained food, and even lead to the creation of adverse substances for the consumer.

FOG/ANTIFOG EFFECT

The phenomenon of droplets of condensation gathering on a surface, known as fog or mist, is triggered whenthe water vapour in the air turns into water upon contacting a colder surface.

This phenomenon notably affects fresh packaged products, such a fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, which upon being exposed to refrigerated spaces are prone to suffering from water condensation due to the difference of temperature between the inner and outer part of packaging containing them, thus becoming opaque and shortening the food’s shelf life.

Likewise, in agricultural films intended for greenhouse covering, milching and other applications, the drop formation impairs the optimal light transmission needed to achieve a hifh crop yield.

In that way, the antifogging agents emerge.

By definition, they are a series of chemicals which prevent specific surface from the water condensation and the fog effect.

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