ASTM F17-20

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Designation: F17 − 18a F17 − 20
Standard Terminology Relating to
Primary Barrier Packaging
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F17; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original
adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A superscript
epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope
1.1 This terminology covers the principal terms relating to primary barrier packaging and its materials. This terminology
contains related definitions and descriptions of terms used or likely to be used in primary barrier packaging standards. The purpose
of terminology is to promote clear understanding and interpretation of the standards in which they are used.
1.2 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization
established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued
by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
D1129 Terminology Relating to Water
F1349 Test Method for Nonvolatile Ultraviolet (UV) Absorbing Extractables from Microwave Susceptors
F1980 Guide for Accelerated Aging of Sterile Barrier Systems for Medical Devices
3. Terminology
accelerated aging—a technique to simulate the effects of time on a package by subjecting the product/package system to elevated
temperatures in a controlled environment representative of controlled environment storage conditions. The equivalent time is
generally estimated by assuming the degradation of packaging materials follows the kinetics described by the Arrhenius reaction
rate function, more discussion of which is available in Guide F1980.
accumulative pump, n—a mechanical pump dispenser that accumulates internal pressure by means of a valving-system that
maintains a high velocity flow of the product no matter what the actuation velocity that results in a consistent fine mist spray.
acid foods—foods that have a natural pH of 4.6 or below.
adhesive transfer—a condition occurring when an adhesive-coated material is peeled away from an opposing material to which
it has been sealed and shows visible evidence of the adhesive being left on the opposing material. This evidence is in the form
of an adhesive layer that remains with the opposing material, the adhesive having separated either adhesively from the coated
web or cohesively within the adhesive itself.
aseptic—as applied to aseptic packaging, synonymous with commercially sterile.
aseptic packaging—filling of a commercially sterilized product into presterilized containers, followed by hermetic sealing in a
commercially sterile atmosphere.
aseptic presentation—introduction and transfer of a sterile product using conditions and procedures that exclude microbial
contamination.
atomization, n—the separation process of liquid into small particles.
This terminology is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F02 on Primary Barrier Packaging and is the direct responsibility of F02.50 on Package Design and
Development.
Current edition approved Oct. 1, 2018May 1, 2020. Published November 2018August 2020. Originally approved in 1961. Last previous edition approved in 2018 as
F17 – 18.F17 – 18a. DOI: 10.1520/F0017-18A.10.1520/F0017-20.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on the ASTM website.
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F17 − 20
barrier—any material limiting passage through itself of solids, liquids, semisolids, gases, vapors, or forms of energy such as
ultraviolet light.
barrier materials—specialized porous or nonporous packaging materials that provide environmental protection to the package
contents as well as protection to the environment from the package contents: (1) gas, vapor, humidity, liquid, microbial, or light
resistant materials that control or eliminate the amount of those environmental constituents that pass into or out of a package;
(2) a porous material preventing the passage of microorganisms that might contaminate the contents of the package.
biological evaluation test (biotest)—a test which involves exposure of sealed packages to biological indicators and is designed
to determine the microbiological integrity of a package under the specific conditions of the test.
burst strength—a measure of the internal pressure necessary to rupture a package or seal.
channel—any unimpaired pathway across the entire width of the intended seal.
clogging, v—the restriction of normal product flow. Most commonly due to product drying in a product flow passage area of the
mechanical break-up system.
coextrusion—in flexible barrier materials, (1) a process whereby two or more plastic streams are forced simultaneously through
one or more shaping orifices to become one continuously-formed multilayered structure. (2) Also, the product resulting from
such a process.
commercial sterility— of thermally processed food, the condition achieved by application of heat, alone or in combination with
other appropriate treatments, to render the food free of microorganisms capable of growing in the food at normal nonrefrigerated
conditions at which the food is likely to be held during distribution and storage.
conditioning—the exposure of a material to the influence of a prescribed atmosphere for a stipulated period of time or until a
stipulated relation is reached between material and atmosphere.
cross direction (CD)—the direction perpendicular to a material’s flow through the machine on which the material is being
produced or processed. Material orientation perpendicular to the flow direction through a machine may have different properties
than machine direction. Also known as transverse direction (TD).
delamination—the separation of layers in a multilayered structure.
dispersion coating—in flexible barrier materials, (1) a process of applying a material, suspended or dispersed in a vehicle, to a
surface in such a way that a continuous, coalesced, adherent layer results when the vehicle liquid (usually water) is evaporated.
(2) Also, the product resulting from such a process.
dual ovenable—terms describing a food packaging container used to prepare food in either a conventional oven or a microwave
oven.
environmentally challenging—the process of subjecting a package to extremes of temperature and/or humidity and/or other
environmental conditions, with the goal of determining sensitivities of the package to environmental stresses. In contrast to
accelerated aging, environmental challenging often includes conditions, or transitions, or both, of temperature and humidity that
equal or exceed those that can be encountered in a package life cycle.
exit orifice, n—the final passage found in the insert that the liquid flows through before exiting the dispensing system where the
size of the orifice diameter can determine the size of the spray particles and spray pattern.
extrusion coating—in flexible barrier materials, (1) a process of extrusion whereby a molten extrudate adheres to the surface of
another (solid) material, forming a continuous layer upon cooling. (2) Also, the product resulting from such a process.
fine mist pump, n—a mechanical pump dispenser that atomizes liquid into a fine mist. An accumulative pump is the most common
type of fine mist pump.
flexible—easily hand-folded, flexed, twisted, and bent.
DISCUSSION—
“Flexible” may be a characteristic of thin barrier materials, especially when thinner than 125 to 255 μm (5 to 10 mils), that are composed of materials
that are otherwise classified as “rigid” or “semi-rigid” under the definitions concerning rigidity based on modulus of elasticity (see Terminology D883).
Modulus of elasticity is an inherent property of a material which in conjunction with thickness determines flexibility.
flexible package—any package with at least one flexible component that can be bent back or folded back upon itself.
fluoroptic temperature measurement—temperature measurement based on the variation in total luminescence of a fluoroptic
phosphor which has been previously calibrated versus a known temperature standard.
F17 − 20
food simulant—a well-characterized substance used in place of food for investigative studies.
force to actuate (FTA), n—the peak force that corresponds to the pressure on the finger that a consumer feels upon fully actuating
the mechanical pump dispenser.
functional barrier—in food packaging, a material that effectively restricts passage of solids, liquids, semi-solids, vapors, or forms
of energy such as ultraviolet light through itself, across its borders, or interface with another material or substance.
functional compatibility, n—effect of physical or chemical interaction between a consumer product and a specific pump
mechanism where problems typically include deformation and degradation of components that result in a lower performance of
the mechanical pump dispenser.
fusion seal—a bond formed by combining two or more materials through melting or other means so that the joining layers become
indistinguishable at the interface.
heat seal—the result of bonding surfaces by controlled application of heat, pressure, and dwell time.
hermetically sealed aseptic container—a container that is designed and intended to be secure against the entry of microorganisms
and thereby to maintain the commercial sterility of its contents.
hot spot, n—the area of a spray where the product concentration is high which can be visibly seen on a spray pattern as a
concentrated stain on the alcohol-sensitive paper.
hot tack—the property of a heat seal to hold together when stressed while it is still hot from the sealing operation.
laminate—a product made by bonding together two or more layers of material or materials. (See also multilayered structure)
lamination—in flexible barrier materials, the process of preparing a laminate which consists of two or more flexible barriers
bonded together (see also laminate).
leak—a hole, void, or defect in the package material or mated components of a package capable of passing particulate, aerosols,
liquid, or gas from one side (inside or outside) of the package to the other side contrary to intention.
load (water load)—an amount of water used to moderate the microwave radiation absorbed by a susceptor during simulated
microwave heating tests.
low-acid food—any food, other than alcoholic beverages, with a finished equilibrium pH greater than 4.6 and a water activity (a )
w
greater than 0.85. Tomatoes and tomato products having a finished equilibrium pH less than 4.7 are not classed as low-acid
foods.
machine direction (MD)—the direction parallel to a material’s flow through the machine on which the material is being produced
or processed. Flow direction through a machine may impart directional properties to a material. Also called longitudinal
direction (LD).
major package defect—a defect that is likely to result in failure or reduce significantly the usability of the package for its intended
use.
mechanical break-up unit (MBU), n— a design structure found in the insert that forces product to flow in a swirling method for
producing specific spray characteristics.
mechanical pump dispenser, n—a small, finger- or hand-actuated, mechanical device used to dispense (spray, stream, or flow)
product from a container that may be, generally, held in one’s hand.
medical device—any instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, appliance, implant, in vitro reagent or calibrator, software,
material, or other related article, intended by the manufacturer to be used, alone or in combination, for one of more of the specific
purpose(s) of (1) diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment, or alleviation of a disease; (2) diagnosis, monitoring, treatment,
alleviation of or compensation for an injury; (3) investigation, replacement, modification or support of the anatomy or of a
physiological process—supporting or sustaining life; (4) control of conception; (5) disinfection of medical devices; and (6)
providing information for medical purposes by means of in vitro examination of specimens derived from the human body, and
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