MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 34 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Utilization of chemically treated municipal solid waste (spent coffee bean powder) as reinforcement in cellulose matrix for packaging applications

Thiagamani SMK, Nagarajan R, Jawaid M, Anumakonda V, Siengchin S

Waste Manag, 2017 Nov;69:445-454.
PMID: 28774586 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.07.035

As the annual production of the solid waste generable in the form of spent coffee bean powder (SCBP) is over 6 million tons, its utilization in the generation of green energy, waste water treatment and as a filler in biocomposites is desirable. The objective of this article is to analyze the possibilities to valorize coffee bean powder as a filler in cellulose matrix. Cellulose matrix was dissolved in the relatively safer aqueous solution mixture (8% LiOH and 15% Urea) precooled to -12.5°C. To the cellulose solution (SCBP) was added in 5-25wt% and the composite films were prepared by regeneration method using ethyl alcohol as a coagulant. Some SCBP was treated with aq. 5% NaOH and the composite films were also prepared using alkali treated SCBP as a filler. The films of composites were uniform with brown in color. The cellulose/SCBP films without and with alkali treated SCBP were characterized by FTIR, XRD, optical and polarized optical microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile tests. The maximum tensile strength of the composite films with alkali treated SCBP varied between (106-149MPa) and increased with SCBP content when compared to the composites with untreated SCBP. The thermal stability of the composite was higher at elevated temperatures when alkali treated SCBP was used. Based on the improved tensile properties and photo resistivity, the cellulose/SCBP composite films with alkali treated SCBP may be considered for packaging and wrapping of flowers and vegetables.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging/methods*
Cigarette price level and variation in five Southeast Asian countries

Liber AC, Ross H, Ratanachena S, Dorotheo EU, Foong K

Tob Control, 2015 Jun;24(e2):e137-41.
PMID: 24500266 DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2013-051184

OBJECTIVES: To monitor and analyse impacts of the interaction between tobacco excise tax policy and industry price strategy, on the price level and variation of cigarettes sold in five Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines and Vietnam).
METHODS: Prices of cigarette sold by sticks and packs were collected through an in-person survey of retailers during 2011. Mean cigarette prices and price variation were calculated in each study country for single cigarettes, whole packs and brand groups.
RESULTS: Price variation of whole packs was greater in countries with ad-valorem excise tax structures (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) than in countries with multitiered specific excise taxes (Indonesia and the Philippines). The price variation for single sticks appeared to be driven by local currency denomination. Cigarettes sold individually cost more per stick than cigarettes sold in whole packs in every brand group except for Indonesia's domestic brands.
CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco industry strategy and excise tax structure drove the price level and variation of cigarettes sold in packs, while currency denominations influence the selling price of single sticks. To maximise the effectiveness of tobacco tax policies, countries should adopt specific excise tax structures to decrease cigarette price variation, which would minimise opportunities for smokers to 'trade down' to a cheaper brand to avoid a tax-driven price increase.
KEYWORDS: Low/Middle Income Country; Packaging and Labelling; Price; Surveillance and Monitoring; Taxation

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
How the Malaysian tobacco industry exploits loopholes in pictorial health warnings

Tan YL, Foong K

Tob Control, 2012 Jan;21(1):55-6.
PMID: 21803928 DOI: 10.1136/tc.2011.042713
Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging/legislation & jurisprudence
Health warning messages on tobacco products: a review

Hammond D

Tob Control, 2011 Sep;20(5):327-37.
PMID: 21606180 DOI: 10.1136/tc.2010.037630

OBJECTIVE: To review evidence on the impact of health warning messages on tobacco packages.
DATA SOURCES: Articles were identified through electronic databases of published articles, as well as relevant 'grey' literature using the following keywords: health warning, health message, health communication, label and labelling in conjunction with at least one of the following terms: smoking, tobacco, cigarette, product, package and pack.
STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Relevant articles available prior to January 2011 were screened for six methodological criteria. A total of 94 original original articles met inclusion criteria, including 72 quantitative studies, 16 qualitative studies, 5 studies with both qualitative and qualitative components, and 1 review paper: Canada (n=35), USA (n=29) Australia (n=16), UK (n=13), The Netherlands (n=3), France (n=3), New Zealand (n=3), Mexico (n=3), Brazil (n=2), Belgium (n=1), other European countries (n=10), Norway (n=1), Malaysia (n=1) and China (n=1).
RESULTS: The evidence indicates that the impact of health warnings depends upon their size and
DESIGN: whereas obscure text-only warnings appear to have little impact, prominent health warnings on the face of packages serve as a prominent source of health information for smokers and non-smokers, can increase health knowledge and perceptions of risk and can promote smoking cessation. The evidence also indicates that comprehensive warnings are effective among youth and may help to prevent smoking initiation. Pictorial health warnings that elicit strong emotional reactions are significantly more effective.
CONCLUSIONS: Health warnings on packages are among the most direct and prominent means of communicating with smokers. Larger warnings with pictures are significantly more effective than smaller, text-only messages.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging/methods
Fulltext A systematic review protocol on small/kiddie cigarette packaging size and its impact on smoking

Mat Rifin H, Rodzlan Hasani WS, Ling MYJ, Robert Lourdes TG, Saminathan TA, Ab Majid NL, et al.

Syst Rev, 2020 01 13;9(1):13.
PMID: 31931868 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-019-1263-6

BACKGROUND: Small/kiddie cigarette packs consist of less than 20 cigarette sticks. Kiddie packs were recently proposed to be reintroduced by the tobacco industry with an excuse to prevent consumers from buying illicit cigarettes. By reintroducing kiddie packs, cigarettes will inevitably be more affordable and this would appeal to lower-income consumers especially teens. In this systematic review, we aimed to identify the impact of kiddie packs on smoking, specifically on smoking initiation, the urge/tendency to buy cigarettes and attempts to reduce cigarette consumption.
METHODS: This systematic review will be based on the review of original articles on the impact of kiddie packs on smoking. There is no restriction on the publication dates. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus will be searched to retrieve potential original articles. Additional records identified through other sources: Google Scholar, as well as Journal of Substance Use and Tobacco Control, are also to be searched. These will include original articles in any language which included all study designs (randomised controlled trials, quasi experimental and experimental studies, observational cross-sectional and cohort studies) comparing kiddie packs with regular cigarette packs. The primary outcomes of interest will be initiation of smoking and urge/tendency to buy cigarettes in the general population and attempts to reduce cigarette consumption among current smokers. Secondary outcomes will be the prevalence of smoking using kiddie packs among the current smokers.
DISCUSSION: This systematic review will provide evidence to support the impact of kiddie packs on smoking in terms of smoking initiation, smoking prevalence, urge/tendency to purchase cigarettes and attempts to reduce cigarette consumption. The findings from this review could be helpful to policymakers in regulating kiddie packs to control the consumption of tobacco.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42018102325.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging/economics*
Fulltext Surface-Mounted Bare and Packaged Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Measuring Rock Strain in Uniaxial Testing

Isah BW, Mohamad H

Sensors (Basel), 2021 Apr 22;21(9).
PMID: 33922008 DOI: 10.3390/s21092926

The paper explores the possibility of using high-resolution fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing technology for on-specimen strain measurement in the laboratory. The approach provides a means to assess the surface deformation of the specimen, both the axial and radial, through a chain of FBG sensor (C-FBG), in a basic setup of a uniaxial compression test. The method is cost-effective, straightforward and can be commercialized. Two C-FBG; one was applied directly to the sample (FBGBare), and the other was packaged (FBGPack) for ease of application. The approach measures the local strain with high-resolution and accuracy levels that match up to the existing local strain measuring sensors. The approach enables the evaluation of small-strain properties of the specimen intelligently. The finite element model analysis deployed has proven the adaptability of the technique for measuring material deformation. The adhesive thickness and packaging technique have been shown to influence the sensitivity of the FBG sensors. Owing to the relative ease and low-cost of instrumentation, the suggested method has a great potential to be routinely applied for elemental testing in the laboratory.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext An innovative probabilistic hesitant fuzzy set MCDM perspective for selecting flexible packaging bags after the prohibition on single-use plastics

Jeon J, Krishnan S, Manirathinam T, Narayanamoorthy S, Nazir Ahmad M, Ferrara M, et al.

Sci Rep, 2023 Jun 23;13(1):10206.
PMID: 37353615 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37200-2

The probabilistic hesitant elements (PHFEs) are a beneficial augmentation to the hesitant fuzzy element (HFE), which is intended to give decision-makers more flexibility in expressing their biases while using hesitant fuzzy information. To extrapolate a more accurate interpretation of the decision documentation, it is sufficient to standardize the organization of the elements in PHFEs without introducing fictional elements. Several processes for unifying and arranging components in PHFEs have been proposed so far, but most of them result in various disadvantages that are critically explored in this paper. The primary objective of this research is to recommend a PHFE unification procedure that avoids the deficiencies of operational practices while maintaining the inherent properties of PHFE probabilities. The prevailing study advances the hypothesis of permutation on PHFEs by suggesting a new sort of PHFS division and subtraction compared with the existing unification procedure. Eventually, the proposed PHFE-unification process will be used in this study, an innovative PHFEs based on the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment Method-Analytic Hierarchy Process (WASPAS-AHP) perspective for selecting flexible packaging bags after the prohibition on single-use plastics. As a result, we have included the PHFEs-WASPAS in our selection of the most effective fuzzy environment for bio-plastic bags. The ranking results for the suggested PHFEs-MCDM techniques surpassed the existing AHP methods in the research study by providing the best solution. Our solutions offer the best bio-plastic bag alternative strategy for mitigating environmental impacts.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging*
Nutritional composition and sensory properties of oyster mushroom-based patties packed with biodegradable packaging

Wan Rosli W, Solihah M

Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:65-71.

The increase use of synthetic packaging films in food products has led to serious environmental problems due to their total non-biodegradability property. Nutrient composition and sensory acceptability of chicken patties formulated with various levels of Pleurotus sajor-caju popularly known as grey oyster mushroom (oM) and wrapped with degradable plastic were studied. The chicken patties were formulated with either 0, 25 or 50% of fresh oM. The results showed that chicken patty formulated with 25% PSC has protein content of 17.46% lower than the control patty which had 18.13% but it was not significant (p>0.05). After storage, cooked chicken patty formulated with 25% oM had protein content of 21.53% lower than the control patty (23 .90%) but it was not significant (p>0 .05). However, incorporation of oM in chicken patties resulted in decreasing of fat content significantly (p0 .05) from 15.58 (control) to 13.33% after storage. On the other nutrient, the concentration of f3-glucan were detected at values ranged between 0.70 and 0.76 (g1100 g) after 6 month. Other results showed that patty formulated with 25% oM received the highest scores for all attributes except for aroma. Meanwhile, patty prepared with 50% oM received the highest score of aroma attribute after 6 month of storage. However, the score values for all attributes of all oM-based patties were not statistically different with control patty (p> 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of oM at 25% can be recommended for the purpose of lowering fat content while keeping protein and f3-glucan unchanged without jeopardizing sensorial properties. This investigation therefore, suggested that biodegradable plastic can be used in packing any type of processed meat-based products.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of Pb-free SAC 105 and SAC 305 Solder Alloys: a comparative study

Fayeka M, Haseeb A, Fazal MA

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:295-302.

Sn-Ag based solder alloy seems to be a promising lead-free solder for the application on electronic assembly. The corrosion behavior of different lead free solder alloys such as Sn-3.0Ag, Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu was investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the samples after the tests. The results showed that the addition of 0.5 wt. % copper with Sn-3.0 Ag solder alloy led to a better corrosion resistance while lowering of Ag content from 3.0 to 1.0 wt. % decreased the resistance. Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu exhibits a better corrosion resistance in terms of increased charge transfer resistance and impedance values as well as the lowest capacitance. These characteristics signify its suitability for the application in electronic packaging.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Epoxidized Jatropha Oil as a Sustainable Plasticizer to Poly(lactic Acid)

Chieng BW, Ibrahim NA, Then YY, Loo YY

Polymers (Basel), 2017 Jun 02;9(6).
PMID: 30970882 DOI: 10.3390/polym9060204

A renewable resource, epoxidized jatropha oil (EJO), was used as a green plasticizer and added to poly(lactic acid) (PLA). EJO was compounded into PLA at different contents. The addition of 3 wt % EJO to the PLA demonstrates significant improvement in flexibility, which leads to a percentage increase of about 7000% in elongation at break. This tensile result was confirmed by surface morphology analysis with clear proof of plastic deformation in EJO-plasticized PLA. EJO imparts a good heat stabilization effect. Thermal stability of PLA was enhanced upon addition of EJO, which is due to their good interaction and plasticizer dispersion within the PLA matrix. This EJO-plasticized PLA has wide applications in various industries, such as packaging of food and non-food products.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Application of artificial neural networks for the optimisation of wetting contact angle for lead free Bi-Ag soldering alloys

Nima Ghamarian, Azmah Hanim, M.A., Nahavandi, M., Zulkarnain Zainal, Lim, Hong Ngee

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(4):1255-1260.
MyJurnal

In the recent years, electronic packaging provides significant research and development challenges
across multiple disciplines such as performance, materials, reliability, thermals and interconnections.
New technologies and techniques frequently adopted can be implemented in soldering alloys of
semiconductor sectors in terms of optimisation. Wetting contact angle or wettability of solder alloys
is one of the important factors which has got the attention of scholars. Hence in this study, due to the
remarkable similarity over classical solder alloys (Pb-Sn), Bi-Ag solder was investigated. Data were
collected through the effects of aging time variation and different weight percentages of Ag in solder
alloys. The contact angle of the alloys with Cu plate was measured by optical microscopy. Artificial
neural networks (ANNs) were applied on the measured datasets to develop a numerical model for further
simulation. Results of the experiments and simulations showed that the coefficient of determination (R2
)
is around 0.97, which signifies that the ANN set up is appropriate for the evaluation.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Green Composites Made of Bamboo Fabric and Poly (Lactic) Acid for Packaging Applications-A Review

Nurul Fazita MR, Jayaraman K, Bhattacharyya D, Mohamad Haafiz MK, Saurabh CK, Hussin MH, et al.

Materials (Basel), 2016 Jun 01;9(6).
PMID: 28773558 DOI: 10.3390/ma9060435

Petroleum based thermoplastics are widely used in a range of applications, particularly in packaging. However, their usage has resulted in soaring pollutant emissions. Thus, researchers have been driven to seek environmentally friendly alternative packaging materials which are recyclable as well as biodegradable. Due to the excellent mechanical properties of natural fibres, they have been extensively used to reinforce biopolymers to produce biodegradable composites. A detailed understanding of the properties of such composite materials is vital for assessing their applicability to various products. The present review discusses several functional properties related to packaging applications in order to explore the potential of bamboo fibre fabric-poly (lactic) acid composites for packaging applications. Physical properties, heat deflection temperature, impact resistance, recyclability and biodegradability are important functional properties of packaging materials. In this review, we will also comprehensively discuss the chronological events and applications of natural fibre biopolymer composites.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Release of bisphenol a from polycarbonate and polyethylene terephthalate drinking water bottles under different storage conditions and its associated health risk

Wen Min Yun, Yu Bin Ho, Eugenie Sin Sing Tan, Vivien How

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2018;14(102):1-9.
MyJurnal

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a controversial plastics ingredient used mainly in the production of polycarbonate plastics (PC) and epoxy resins that widely used nowadays in food and drink packaging. Even though BPA is not involved in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) manufacturing, recent study had reported the present of BPA in PET water bottle. This study was conducted to investigate effects storage conditions on release of BPA from PC and PET bottled water as well as to assess health risks associated with consumption. Methods: Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used to extract the samples, followed by analysis using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (UHPLC-FLD). The possibility of developing chronic non-carcinogenic health risk among consumers of bottled water was evaluated using hazard quotient (HQ). Results: Results showed that BPA migrated from PC and PET water bottles at concentrations ranging from 9.13 to 257.67 ng/L and 11.53 ng/L to 269.87 ng/L respectively. Concentrations of BPA were higher in PET bottled water compared to PC bottled water across all storage conditions. Higher storage temperature and longer storage duration increased BPA concentrations in PC and PET bottled water. Concentrations of BPA in bottled water which were kept in a car and were exposed to sunlight were higher than control samples which were stored indoor at room temperature. Conclusion: No significant chronic non-carcinogenic health risks were calculated for daily ingestion of BPA-contaminated bottled water; calculated HQ was less than one.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Processing of flexible plastic packaging waste into pyrolysis oil and multi-walled carbon nanotubes for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction

Veksha A, Yin K, Moo JGS, Oh WD, Ahamed A, Chen WQ, et al.

J Hazard Mater, 2020 04 05;387:121256.
PMID: 31951979 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121256

Flexible plastic packaging waste causes serious environmental issues due to challenges in recycling. This study investigated the conversion of flexible plastic packaging waste with 11.8 and 27.5 wt.% polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (denoted as PET-12 and PET-28, respectively) into oil and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The mixtures were initially pyrolyzed and the produced volatiles were processed over 9.0 wt.% Fe2O3 supported on ZSM-5 (400 °C) to remove oxygenated hydrocarbons (catalytic cracking of terephthalic and benzoic acids) that deteriorate oil quality. The contents of oxygenated hydrocarbons were decreased in oil from 4.6 and 9.4 wt.% per mass of PET-12 and PET-28, respectively, to undetectable levels. After catalytic cracking, the oil samples had similar contents of gasoline, diesel and heavy oil/wax fractions. The non-condensable gas was converted into MWCNTs over 0.9 wt.% Ni supported on CaCO3 (700 °C). The type of plastic packaging influenced the yields (2.4 and 1.5 wt.% per mass of PET-12 and PET-28, respectively) and the properties of MWCNTs due to the differences in gas composition. Regarding the electrocatalytic application, both MWCNTs from PET-12 and PET-28 outperformed commercial MWCNTs and Pt-based electrodes during oxygen evolution reaction, suggesting that MWCNTs from flexible plastic packaging can potentially replace conventional electrode materials.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Effect of different types of plastic packaging films on the moisture and aflatoxin contents of pistachio nuts during storage

Shakerardekani A, Karim R

J Food Sci Technol, 2013 Apr;50(2):409-11.
PMID: 24425936 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-012-0624-0

Pistachio nut (Pistacia vera L.) is one of the popular tree nuts in the world. Proper selection of packaging materials is necessary to prevent absorption of moisture and aflatoxin formation which will influence the overall product quality and safety. This research is undertaken to study the effect of different type of flexible packaging films on the moisture and aflatoxin contents of whole pistachio nuts during storage at ambient temperature (22-28 °C) and relative humidity of 85-100%. Five types of plastic films tested were low density polyethylene (LDPE) which serves as the control, food-grade polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nylon (LDPE/PA), polyamide/polypropylene (PA/PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The moisture content and aflatoxin content of pistachio nuts were measured using oven drying method and HPLC, respectively. Sample were analysed at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 months during the storage period. Results showed that there was an increase in moisture content with the increase in storage time of pistachio nuts. The increase in moisture content was associated with the aflatoxin level of pistachio nuts during storage time. All the packaging materials except LDPE delayed the moisture absorption and aflatoxin formation of the product. The most suitable packaging materials for maintaining the quality and safety of pistachio nuts is PET films followed by nylon, PA/PP and PVC. The shelf-life of pistachio can be extended from 2 months (Control) to 5 months when PET is used as the packaging material.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Effect of integration of oxalic acid and hot water treatments on postharvest quality of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L. cv. Anak Sekolah) under modified atmosphere packaging

Hafiz AFA, Keat YW, Ali A

J Food Sci Technol, 2017 Jun;54(7):2181-2185.
PMID: 28720977 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-017-2645-1

The shelf life of rambutan is often limited due to rapid water loss from the spinterns and browning of the pericarp. An integrated approach, which combined hot water treatment (HWT) (56 °C for 1 min), oxalic acid (OA) dip (10% for 10 min) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), was used to study their effectiveness on the quality of rambutan during storage (10 °C, 90-95% relative humidity). Significant differences were observed in rambutan quality with the combination of MAP + HWT + OA after 20 days of storage. This treatment combination resulted into better retention of firmness and colour (L and a* values) than in the control. Change in the total soluble solid content was significantly delayed however the titratable acidity showed no significant change in comparison to the control at the end of storage.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Reliability Assessment and Activation Energy Study of Au and Pd-Coated Cu Wires Post High Temperature Aging in Nanoscale Semiconductor Packaging

Gan CL, Hashim U

Journal of electronic packaging, 2013 Jun;135(2):0210101-210107.
PMID: 24891811

Wearout reliability and high temperature storage life (HTSL) activation energy of Au and Pd-coated Cu (PdCu) ball bonds are useful technical information for Cu wire deployment in nanoscale semiconductor device packaging. This paper discusses the influence of wire type on the wearout reliability performance of Au and PdCu wire used in fine pitch BGA package after HTSL stress at various aging temperatures. Failure analysis has been conducted to identify the failure mechanism after HTSL wearout conditions for Au and PdCu ball bonds. Apparent activation energies (Eaa) of both wire types are investigated after HTSL test at 150 °C, 175 °C and 200 °C aging temperatures. Arrhenius plot has been plotted for each ball bond types and the calculated Eaa of PdCu ball bond is 0.85 eV and 1.10 eV for Au ball bond in 110 nm semiconductor device. Obviously Au ball bond is identified with faster IMC formation rate with IMC Kirkendall voiding while PdCu wire exhibits equivalent wearout and or better wearout reliability margin compare to conventional Au wirebond. Lognormal plots have been established and its mean to failure (t50) have been discussed in this paper.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Fulltext Small/Kiddie Cigarette Packaging Size and Its Impact on Smoking: A Systematic Review

Mat Rifin H, Jane Ling MY, Robert Lourdes TG, Saminathan TA, Rodzlan Hasani WS, Ab Majid NL, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 23;19(19).
PMID: 36231349 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912051

Background: Small cigarette pack sizes contain less than 20 cigarette sticks in a pack. Smaller packs may suggest lower costs, increasing affordability among lower-income users, especially the younger generation, which could lead to tobacco-related diseases and economic costs, including human capital lost results from tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality. This concern has caused many countries to ban the sale of single cigarette sticks or kiddie packs. However, small cigarette pack sizes were proposed recently to be reintroduced by the tobacco industry with an excuse to prevent consumers from buying illicit cigarettes. This would demean efforts in combating tobacco consumption based on the existing tobacco control policies to prevent minors from purchasing cigarettes. Given the competing influences of affordability and availability of tobacco on consumption and the dearth of evidence-based review on the impact of pack size on smoking, this systematic review was conducted to identify the link between kiddie packs and smoking specifically on the initiation of smoking, urge/tendency to buy cigarettes among the general population and attempt to reduce cigarette consumption and prevalence of smoking using kiddie packs among current smokers. Methods: We include all studies except for reviews, guidelines, conference papers, commentaries, editorials, or opinion pieces. A database search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science and Scopus on 27 November 2021. The results were presented in the form of narrative synthesis under four groups: initiation of smoking; urge/tendency to buy cigarettes; the prevalence of smoking, and attempt to reduce cigarette consumption. The literature search identified 1601 articles, of which 21 articles had met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of all included articles was determined using a validated 16-item quality assessment tool (QATSDD). The average quality score for all papers was 34.8%. Discussion: Given the diverse study settings of the articles and despite the challenges of the methodological quality of some articles, this review provides some evidence that kiddie packs may increase the urge/tendency to buy cigarettes and mixed evidence on the attempt to reduce cigarette consumption. This review also found some evidence that kiddie pack purchasing among teenage smokers was higher compared to adults. However, we are uncertain about the link between kiddie packs and smoking initiation. Nevertheless, since most studies were of low quality, further high-quality studies are needed to conclude about the impact of kiddie packs on smoking to assist the policymakers and stakeholders in formulating new policies and strengthening existing strategies related to the kiddie packs.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Characteristics of thermoplastic sugar palm Starch/Agar blend: Thermal, tensile, and physical properties

Jumaidin R, Sapuan SM, Jawaid M, Ishak MR, Sahari J

Int J Biol Macromol, 2016 Aug;89:575-81.
PMID: 27177458 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.05.028

The aim of this work is to study the behavior of biodegradable sugar palm starch (SPS) based thermoplastic containing agar in the range of 10-40wt%. The thermoplastics were melt-mixed and then hot pressed at 140°C for 10min. SEM investigation showed good miscibility between SPS and agar. FT-IR analysis confirmed that SPS and agar were compatible and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds existed between them. Incorporation of agar increased the thermoplastic starch tensile properties (Young's modulus and tensile strength). The thermal stability and moisture uptake increased with increasing agar content. The present work shows that starch-based thermoplastics with 30wt% agar content have the highest tensile strength. Higher content of agar (40wt%) resulted to more rough cleavage fracture and slight decrease in the tensile strength. In conclusion, the addition of agar improved the thermal and tensile properties of thermoplastic SPS which widened the potential application of this eco-friendly material. The most promising applications for this eco-friendly material are short-life products such as packaging, container, tray, etc.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging
Development and characterisation of packaging film from Napier cellulose nanowhisker reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) bionanocomposites

Sucinda EF, Abdul Majid MS, Ridzuan MJM, Cheng EM, Alshahrani HA, Mamat N

Int J Biol Macromol, 2021 Sep 30;187:43-53.
PMID: 34271052 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.07.069

A packaging material that is environment-friendly with excellent mechanical and physicochemical properties, biodegradable and ultraviolet (UV) protection and thermal stability was prepared to reduce plastic waste. Six different concentrations of Pennisetum purpureum/Napier cellulose nanowhiskers (NWCs) (i.e. 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 wt%) were used to reinforce polylactic acid (PLA) by a solvent casting method. The resulting bionanocomposite film samples were characterised in terms of their morphology, chemical structure, crystallinity, thermal degradation and stability, light transmittance, water absorption, biodegradability, and physical and mechanical properties. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy showed the excellent dispersion of NWC in the PLA matrix occurred with NWC concentrations of 0.5-1.5 wt%. All the bionanocomposite film samples exhibited good thermal stability at approximately 343-359 °C. The highest water absorption was 1.94%. The lowest transparency at λ800 was 16.16% for the PLA/3.0% NWC bionanocomposite film, which also has the lowest UVA and UVB transmittance of 7.49% and 4.02%, respectively, making it suitable for packaging materials. The PLA/1.0% NWC film exhibited the highest crystallinity of 50.09% and high tensile strength and tensile modulus of 21.22 MPa and 11.35 MPa, respectively.

Matched MeSH terms: Product Packaging*

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links