In response to rising demand for functional packaging, Austrian masterbatch producer Gabriel-Chemie (Gumpoldskirchen; www.gabriel-chemie.com) has joined hands with sensing technologies specialist Insignia Technologies (BioCity Scotland, Newhouse / UK; www.insigniatechnologies.com) to develop smart food packaging labels. While the latter provides its colour indicators, which allow consumers to see on the packaging itself when a product is no longer fresh, Gabriel-Chemie brings to the collaboration the technical knowledge needed to process Insignia’s technology without damaging the pigments’ integrity or functionality.

Insignia produces a range of smart pigments and inks that work with colour-changing indicators to warn when food is past its expiry date. The materials do so by registering what it calls “a dramatic and distinct” colour change. Its intelligent plastics and links have yielded the first “Time Temperature Indicator” that is cost-effective enough to be used for fast moving consumer products, company CEO David Kilshaw said.

Mark Hannah, marketing director at Gabriel-Chemie, added, “The combination of the pigment solutions from Insignia Technologies and the plastics expertise from Gabriel-Chemie has resulted in a product that is both innovative and of high quality.”