Seal area represents the most problematic part in food packaging for controlling the moisture and gas ingress and preserving product quality. Understanding the mechanism of heat sealing, which is a widely used method in flexible packaging, is critical for maintaining product quality throughout the storage and preventing food waste. Likewise, understanding the factors causing the leak formation in the seal interface helps to avoid failures and increase integrity for all seal types produced by heat sealing methods. This review looks at heat sealing and its mechanisms in flexible food packaging materials and particularly focuses on the reasons behind the encountered seal integrity problems that have a detrimental effect on food quality and shelf life. Heat sealing mechanisms, form fill seal systems and seal types were analyzed. Then, factors affecting the leak formation have been grouped as process parameters, material properties, contaminants, and further processes, which is uncharted territory in open literature. Finally, the details of these groups and their interrelationships were examined and discussed. Revealed key factors as shown in this study are expected to guide future research for understanding leak formation mechanisms in flexible food packaging.

Thermoresponsive films are favorable for the packaging of fresh fruits and vegetable products as their gas permeabilities increase to a greater extent than commercial films when temperature abuse occurs during refrigerated storage. Thermoresponsive polyurethane (PU) films were synthesized from polyethylene glycol (PEG) with three different molecular weights (400, 1000, and 1500 g mol⁻¹), castor oil (CO) with two different proportions (30 and 50 %, CO/PEG ratio) and a constant level of 1,4-butanediol (BDO). The effects of these compositional factors on the thermal, mechanical, physical, structural, and gas barrier properties of the films were investigated. Melting temperatures (T_m) of the PU films varied from 25 to 29 °C and decreased with CO content. Glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the films were all below −32 °C and decreased by increased CO content. PU films with 1500 g mol⁻¹ PEG and 30 % CO/PEG ratio had better shape memory (R_r) and shape fixity (R_f) properties than others. O₂ permeabilities of the PU films were in the range of 1.99–7.25 barrer while their CO₂ permeabilities were between 10.3 and 18.3 barrer. The temperature sensitivity of the gas permeabilities of the PU films was higher than that of a commercial LDPE film, which makes them more appropriate for fresh produce packaging. Nevertheless, PU films were mechanically weaker and they had higher water vapor permeability compared to the LDPE film. These properties of the PU films need further improvements for potential packaging applications.

Thermoresponsive films are favorable for the packaging of fresh fruits and vegetable products as their gas permeabilities increase to a greater extent than commercial films when temperature abuse occurs during refrigerated storage. Thermoresponsive polyurethane (PU) films were synthesized from polyethylene glycol (PEG) with three different molecular weights (400, 1000, and 1500 g mol⁻¹), castor oil (CO) with two different proportions (30 and 50 %, CO/PEG ratio) and a constant level of 1,4-butanediol (BDO). The effects of these compositional factors on the thermal, mechanical, physical, structural, and gas barrier properties of the films were investigated. Melting temperatures (T_m) of the PU films varied from 25 to 29 °C and decreased with CO content. Glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the films were all below −32 °C and decreased by increased CO content. PU films with 1500 g mol⁻¹ PEG and 30 % CO/PEG ratio had better shape memory (R_r) and shape fixity (R_f) properties than others. O₂ permeabilities of the PU films were in the range of 1.99–7.25 barrer while their CO₂ permeabilities were between 10.3 and 18.3 barrer. The temperature sensitivity of the gas permeabilities of the PU films was higher than that of a commercial LDPE film, which makes them more appropriate for fresh produce packaging. Nevertheless, PU films were mechanically weaker and they had higher water vapor permeability compared to the LDPE film. These properties of the PU films need further improvements for potential packaging applications.

Thermoresponsive films are favorable for the packaging of fresh fruits and vegetable products as their gas permeabilities increase to a greater extent than commercial films when temperature abuse occurs during refrigerated storage. Thermoresponsive polyurethane (PU) films were synthesized from polyethylene glycol (PEG) with three different molecular weights (400, 1000, and 1500 g mol⁻¹), castor oil (CO) with two different proportions (30 and 50 %, CO/PEG ratio) and a constant level of 1,4-butanediol (BDO). The effects of these compositional factors on the thermal, mechanical, physical, structural, and gas barrier properties of the films were investigated. Melting temperatures (T_m) of the PU films varied from 25 to 29 °C and decreased with CO content. Glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the films were all below −32 °C and decreased by increased CO content. PU films with 1500 g mol⁻¹ PEG and 30 % CO/PEG ratio had better shape memory (R_r) and shape fixity (R_f) properties than others. O₂ permeabilities of the PU films were in the range of 1.99–7.25 barrer while their CO₂ permeabilities were between 10.3 and 18.3 barrer. The temperature sensitivity of the gas permeabilities of the PU films was higher than that of a commercial LDPE film, which makes them more appropriate for fresh produce packaging. Nevertheless, PU films were mechanically weaker and they had higher water vapor permeability compared to the LDPE film. These properties of the PU films need further improvements for potential packaging applications.