Corrugated Baking Containers New Alternative to Aluminum

Following two years of extensive research, Tenneco has developed a substitute for conventional aluminum baking containers. The company's new Bake Well is a multifunctional baking tray and container made of corrugated paper that could lead to big saving for makers of baked goods.

The key to the container is the specially treated lightweight corrugated paper. Tenneco, which introduced Bake Well at Interpack, would not reveal details about the manufacturing process. Due to the special treatment of the containers, they are able to handle temperatures ranging from -40°C to up to 280°C.

The fully recyclable, one-time-use baking tray offers the rigidity of conventional aluminum containers with the ecological advantages of paper. The containers achieve maximum stability through the corrugated material's unique composition while providing a minimal amount of packaging weight.

Produced by the Pillo-Pak unit of Tenneco Packaging Europe, Bake Well serves as a container for a variety of breads, cakes and other baked goods. The container retains its characteristics during baking and, with various shapes and sizes available, is flexible enough to meet customers' specific product demands. The unbleached exterior can be printed upon for enhanced package design and marketing opportunities. The material can also be used in other cooking applications such as heating pizza.

A special coating on the inside of the container makes removing baked goods from it very easy. The coating provides excellent release so bakers do not need to butter or grease the corrugated tray, thus leading to improved economics and increased production speeds. In addition, unlike with aluminum baking trays, metal detection can be performed with the Bake Well containers.

The product is set to launch in Europe this June and is available in two options. For producers of small quantities, Bake Well trays can be delivered already setup. A complete system, including a forming machine, can also be provided whereby Tenneco's Pillo-Pak will deliver the required number of flat containers on a just-in-time basis so they can be erected and filled directly on the customer's premises. This reduces the amount of storage space required for baking trays. Pricing, which Tenneco says is competitive with aluminum, depends on the design of the tray.

The mono-material container is 100% recyclable. This, in turn, leads to further savings in disposal costs and DSD fees.

For more information: Tenneco Packaging Europe, Tel: +49/ (0)221/ 942 033-0, Email: kerstin.dickmeis@pronomen.de.