Acquisition of an Oxygen Transmission Rate Tester for Food Science and Food Packaging Applications

The goal of this multi-departmental, collaborative project is to acquire an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) tester for strengthening food science and food packaging research, education, training, and outreach activities at the University of Connecticut (UConn). One of the most critical parameters in food packaging is permeability to oxygen. The proposed MOCON OX-TRAN 2/22 (10× model) OTR tester can test films (polymers, paper, etc.), sheets, gels, and containers from very low (0.0005 mL/(m2·day)) to very high (10,000 mL/(m2·day)) values. As such, this instrument can meet virtually any food packaging materials research, from military ready-to-eat meals packaging (< 0.06 mL/(m2·day)), to regular food packaging (0.01-200 mL/(m2·day)), to breathable packaging for fresh produce (> 4,500 mL/(m2·day)). As such, this OTR tester is expected to make a substantial improvement in UConn's capability for developing and characterizing the next generation of food packaging materials, and thus have a significant impact on both fundamental and applied research at UConn. The instrument will also create new research collaborations, both within UConn and the broader community, in food science, food packaging, materials science, and various engineering disciplines. It will be a very valuable instrument for future funding applications to various applied (USDA, etc.) and fundamental (NSF/NIH) programs. Finally, the acquisition of this instrument will strengthen UConn's education, training, and extension capacity and contribute to USDA's mission areas. UConn is fully committed and will be responsible for the maintenance and future repair during the life of the instrument beyond the period of USDA support.