Pros and Cons of the Packaging

1. Paper and Paperboard Packaging

Pros Cons
Recyclable Little resistant material
Economic Poor barrier properties
Can be used as primary, secondary, Bigger footprint during transportation
tertiary
Very light Stacking difficulties
Can facilitate transportation Moisture damage
Sustainable Recycling rate
Extended storage

2. Plastic Packaging

Pros Cons
Recyclable Has low resistant against heat
Economic Does not provide sufficient protection
against water, vapor and gas
transmission
Reusable Not all plastics are recycled
Lightweight Easily scratched
Has great versatility Non-recyclable plastics pollutes the
environment
Sustainable May contain toxic
Cost-effective Chemicals can leak from plastic to food
Not easily broken due to long polymer Not economically attractive
chain
Can be transparent
Distribution is easier
Convenient
Water resistant

The importance of effective packaging materials design should be one with water
vapor barrier that will protect the stored products from gaining moisture. In most climates
especially in the tropics, the transmission of water vapor will tend to be from the outside
to the inside of the hold walls as the external temperature is likely to be higher than the
internal temperature. This packaging is composed of paper, paper board and plastic
packaging, wherein the plastic is the primary packaging and the box or the paper and
paperboard is the secondary packaging. The smoked fish packaging has the pros and
cons that can be encountered during the production, packaging and distribution.
 In the paper and paper board packaging of the smoked fish, the following were
the pros. First, it is sustainable wherein it has a clear sustainability as it is biodegradable
and breaks down much quicker. It can also be printed on easily making it perfect for
marketing, branding and promotional purposes. If purchased in bulk, it can be less cost.
In addition, it also extends storage as long as it is protected from water.
Paper and paperboard packaging also has cons that can also be encountered. It
is less durable, wherein it can be susceptible to mould, fire, and water damages due to
weather. It also has difficulties in stacking because it is less durable it does not able to
hold as much weight, that is why in this packaging limited smoked fish were allowed in
one box.
For the plastic as the primary packaging, it is cheap to use especially to those
who were only starting their business. It has excellent durability wherein it will protect the
smoked fish from being damage. Also, it will protect the smoked fish from water and will
prevent from imparting odor to the secondary packaging. The cons that may be
encountered in this packaging is that, it is less resistant when it comes to heat and may
cause effect when the temperature gets hotter.

One related study entitled “Development of appropriate packaging for shelf life
extension of smoked fish in a developing economy”, shows the use of polyethylene-
paper packaging. The advantages of smoking fish are manifold. It prolongs shelf-life,
enhances flavour and increases utilization in soups and sauces. It reduces wastages at
time of bumper catches and permits storage for the lean season. It also increases
protein availability to people throughout the year and make fish easier to pack, transport
and market. A well dried fish product will go bad if it is not well packaged because of the
hygroscopic nature and easy ability of fish to lose oil when exposed to the atmosphere. In
Nigeria, smoked fish are not properly packaged and hence they are sold within a short
period. This has made smoked fish business to remain at a small scale level in the
country.

Appropriate packaging is necessary to maintain the quality of fishery products and

customer satisfaction. Various types of packaging made up of different materials design
and sizes are used all over the world on board vessels during processing,
transportation, storage, retail and display. An effective fish packaging material should be
able to reduce oxidation and dehydration, provide less bacterial and chemical spoilage,
prevent odor, permeation and protect the product from physical damage.
In the first four months (June-September) being raining season the environment
was humid thus causing absorption of moisture by the dried fish from the environment.
However, as soon as dry season sets in (October-November) the fish lost some part of
this moisture the packaging materials used. This suggests that there the marginal
increase in moisture is due largely to environmental effect which is in line with the findings
of Daramola et al. 2007. There is increase in moisture content of stored dried fish due to
environmental effect. The protein content of the stored fish generally decreased with
storage period. However, there was no appreciable loss in protein content for all the
samples. This suggests that the packaging materials were efficient in maintaining the
protein content of the smoked fish.
 Their conclusion is that, combining the materials increased the strength of the
materials while limiting their weaknesses. The use of the packaging materials improved
the storability of smoked dried fish by increasing the shelf life from about one month to
between four and six months in good quality. Packaging materials used in this study
could be used to International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies package
smoked catfish to improve its marketing on the shelves in super markets with proper
labeling. This development will not only lead to improvement of the value chain of fish
but provide additional business opportunity for investors. This will further enhance the
export value of processed fish, reduce the risk of damage and guaranteed quality
smoked fish to consumers.

References.
Development of Appropriate packaging for shelf life extension of smoked fish in a developing economy.

(2015, January). Research Gate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280245505_Development_of_appropriate_packaging_f

or_shelf_life_extension_of_smoked_fish_in_a_developing_economy

Willock, D. (2022, March 18). Advantages and Disadvantages of Paper and Plastic Packaging. Protega

Global. https://protega-global.com/2022/02/08/paper-and-plastic-packaging-pros-and-cons/

Young, R. (2021, April 12). Plastic vs Paper Packaging: The Pros and Cons. Swiftpak.

https://www.swiftpak.co.uk/insights/plastic-vs-paper-packaging-the-pros-and-cons

Belichovska, D. (2019, August 26). Smoke and Smoked Fish Production | Scientific journal “Meat

Technology.” http://www.journalmeattechnology.com/index.php/meat_technology/article/view/

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According to new research … (Belichovska, 2019)

In research from Belichovska … (2019)