With its barrier papers, Feldmuehle Uetersen GmbH, Germany, offers food producers the possibility to protect their products effectively against pollutants by mineral oil residues. Peter Kolln GmbH, KGaA, Germany, relies on this solution and—without any visible changes to the classic paper bag.

The MOB-Liner is a flexible packaging paper made of virgin fiber material that has been specially developed for the requirements of paper-based packaging solutions. Thus, Feldmuehle shows that effective protection against mineral oil migration can be integrated into food packaging without the use of film and composite materials.

"Brand owners who want to make further progress in the area of food safety have an effective and well-proven product available in the form of the mineral oil barrier paper from Feldmuehle," said Eckhard Kallies, who is responsible for the company's Packaging Solutions business area.

Peter Kolln GmbH, KGaA, the leading manufacturer of oat flakes and breakfast cereals in Germany, has been using the barrier paper from Feldmuehle as a standard material for the inner bag of the well-known Kollnflocken since 2015.

"The safety of our food has top priority for Kolln. That's why we proactively looked for a solution to reliably protect our oatmeal from harmful environmental influences on the way from production to trade and the consumer," said Robert Bethke, head of packaging purchasing at Kolln.

In addition to the protective function, the material also had to meet a number of other criteria. "The prerequisite was to maintain the well-known traditional packaging, which underlines the natural character of our product and is part of the brand identity of Kollnflocken," Bethke noted. 

Moreover, the existing filling lines were to continue to be used unchanged; the trouble-free operation during pouch production and filling was a key requirement for the paper. Also the gluing of the bag with the new paper layer should work as usual. "With Feldmuehle, we have a partner who has adapted to us and whose product meets all of our requirements," Bethke said.

The contamination of packaged foodstuffs is usually caused by gaseous mineral oil components from the surrounding packaging.  But the focus is primarily on wastepaper as a source of mineral oils from printing inks. Packaging made of virgin fiber material does not support per se product protection against mineral oil contamination. However, a special barrier layer in the packaging paper can provide safety.

The barrier-coated papers from Feldmuehle are based on white pulp fibers from certified forestry. A special multi-layer coating application produces a dense and closed paper surface that prevents both contamination by gaseous mineral oils and penetration of greases through the packaging. All components used in this process are approved for direct food contact and are free of fluorocarbons.

The products MOB-Liner and MOB-Flex are suitable for modern packaging of dry and fatty foodstuffs, e.g. for inner bags of folding boxes, multi-layered bags, bags or sacks, as well as for lamination of corrugated boards. MOB-Flex also combines the effective mineral oil barrier with a white, glossy surface. Waste disposal is possible via the wastepaper recycling process.

Feldmuehle Uetersen GmbH develops and manufactures high-quality white coated label papers, packaging papers and graphic papers for the German and international market. In Uetersen, near Hamburg, the company has more than 400 employees. The annual production capacity is about 250,000 metric tons of paper.

In the three business areas of labeling applications, packaging solutions, and graphical options, the company offers a broad product portfolio for the label and packaging industry, printing and publishing houses, brand owners, agencies, and converters.

The company was founded in 2015 after a long-standing affiliation with Stora Enso. It is continuing the 100-year old tradition of paper production at the Uetersen site under the name Feldmuehle. On 24 Jan. 24, 2018, Feldmuehle Uetersen GmbH filed for insolvency and has been in provisional insolvency proceedings since then. The opening of proceedings is scheduled for April 1, 2018. According to plan, the business will be reorganized by way of a transfer of business (asset deal) on May 1, 2018.

For more information, visit the Feldmuehle web site.