Pigments and Dyes for Package Coloring
Package color systems must achieve precise colorimetric values while maintaining material integrity across varied environmental conditions. Current systems face challenges in color consistency across different substrates, with studies showing Delta-E variations exceeding 2.0 units under standard illumination, and color stability degrading by up to 15% when exposed to temperature fluctuations between 4-40°C during distribution.
The fundamental challenge lies in balancing color performance with material constraints while meeting increasingly stringent sustainability and food safety requirements.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including laser-responsive color-changing layers, pH-sensitive nanofiber systems, temperature-responsive pigments, and biomass-derived colorants. These and other approaches focus on achieving reliable color enhancement while maintaining package functionality and environmental responsibility.
1. Biodegradable Composite Packaging with Dried Lemongrass and Polymer Resin via Casting Process
SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY, 2024
Biodegradable composite packaging made from a casting process using a solution of dried lemongrass, polymer resin, plasticizer, and natural pigment. The steps involve preparing the polymer resin and pigment by drying them to remove moisture, then dissolving the resin and plasticizer in a solvent to make the polymer solution. The pigment is dispersed in the same solvent. This composite solution is then cast to make the biodegradable packaging. The dried lemongrass provides a natural, biodegradable colorant to replace synthetic pigments.
2. Color-Changing Food Packaging Incorporating Bacteria-Responsive Enzyme and Carbon Dioxide-Induced Haze in Corn-Based Plastic
PARK TAE YOUNG, 2024
Food packaging that changes color when it comes into contact with harmful bacteria, helping consumers easily identify spoilage. The packaging contains an enzyme that reacts with specific harmful bacteria and turns the packaging a certain color. It also has added calcium hydroxide to become hazy when carbon dioxide is released from spoiling food. The packaging material is made from eco-friendly corn-based plastic.
3. Packaging Material with Temperature-Sensitive Pigments for Visual Freshness Assessment
KIM SHIN YUP, 2024
Packaging for fresh products like fruits and vegetables that allows visual assessment of freshness using temperature-sensitive pigments. The packaging material, like plastic paper, contains temperature-sensitive pigments like zion ink that change color when the temperature inside the packaging reaches a certain point. This allows consumers to see the color change with their naked eye to determine if the product is still fresh. The pigments change color below 10°C and revert back above 10°C. This provides a visual indicator of the temperature inside the packaging, which can indicate if the product is still fresh or has gone bad.
4. Ink Composition with Alcohol-Soluble Binder Resins and Alcohol-Based Solvents for Gravure Printing
MQ PACKAGE CO LTD, 2024
Eco-friendly ink composition and manufacturing method for packaging materials that reduces volatile organic compounds (VOC) while improving printing quality and durability. The ink contains pigments, binder resins, and solvents like alcohol and methyl acetate. The alcohol-based solvents replace VOC solvents. The binder resin is alcohol-soluble. The ink is printed using gravure printing. After printing, an adhesive layer is applied and the materials are laminated. This prevents solvent residue in the printed layer. The ink composition has reduced VOCs, improved color development, and faster drying compared to alcohol-free inks.
5. Multilayer Food Packaging Material with Opaque Adhesive Layer Between Transparent Films
HWANG JAE HA, KIM BONG SU, 2024
Food packaging material with improved hiding properties and recyclability compared to transparent packaging. The material uses an opaque adhesive layer sandwiched between transparent films. The opaque adhesive is made by mixing a urethane adhesive with ink pigments. This opaque layer prevents colors from transferring between the films and improves hiding properties. The transparent films can be recycled separately from the opaque adhesive. The adhesive formulation uses specific ink pigment, solvent, and dispersant amounts to optimize adhesion and opacity.
6. Ink Composition for Flexible Packaging with Polyurethane Resin Containing Terminal Amino and Hydroxyl Groups
SAKATA INKS, 2023
Flexible packaging ink composition with improved properties like gradation reproducibility and blocking resistance. The ink contains a pigment, a polyurethane resin with primary/secondary amino groups and hydroxyl groups at the ends, and solvents. The polyurethane resin is made by reacting biopolyesters, isocyanates, amino alcohols, and diamines. This biomass polyurethane resin has amine and hydroxyl groups at the ends for better adhesion and stability.
7. Blue Colorant Composition with Specific Hue Angle and Titanium Dioxide for High-Saturation Recycled Resin
SELENIUM CO LTD, 2023
A blue colorant composition for recycled blue resin used in packaging ties that allows producing high-saturation recycled blue ties from mixed-color recycled pellets. The composition contains a blue pigment with hue angle 240-255 degrees and titanium dioxide. It blocks black contamination and prevents loss of blue color from mixed-color pellets. The composition can be added to recycled pellets containing black and other colors to increase their blue saturation to 15 or more.
8. Packaging Materials with Glitter Print Layer Incorporating Pearl Pigments and Metal Flakes
DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO LTD, 2023
Packaging materials, containers, and lids with metallic luster without using metal layers. The materials have a glitter print layer between the outer film and sealant containing pearl pigments, metal flakes, and a binder. The pearl pigment and metal flake ratio is 20:80 to 80:20. This provides a metallic appearance without metal layers, good color saturation, and reduced variation in color vividness compared to using just pearl pigments.
9. Pigment Composition Comprising Dual Isoindoline Compounds with Enhanced Dispersion and Stability Properties
TOYOCOLOR CO LTD, 2023
Pigment composition containing isoindoline compounds for inkjet inks, paints, and packaging materials with improved dispersion, weather resistance, heat stability, and color fastness. The composition consists of two isoindoline compounds, one represented by formula (1) and the other by formula (2). The isoindoline compounds provide outstanding dispersion characteristics, weather resistance, and heat resistance compared to conventional isoindoline pigments. The composition is useful in inkjet inks, paints, and packaging materials like gravure printing inks, printed articles, and packaging materials where it enables high saturation colors with good storage stability and reduces fading over time in basic environments.
10. Water-Based Ink Composition with Styrene-Acrylic Copolymer and Polyurethane Prepolymer for Flexographic Printing
GO BYUNG HOON, BNJ CO LTD, GO BYUNG WOO, 2023
Water-based eco-friendly ink for flexographic printing on film packaging materials that uses water as the solvent instead of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The ink composition contains pigments, a styrene-acrylic copolymer, a polyurethane prepolymer, a modified siloxane, and a functional admixture like zinc borate, rosin powder, lepa germanium, and 5-aminolevulinic acid esters. This ink provides good print quality, adhesion, and drying speed without VOCs compared to traditional solvent-based inks.
11. Food Contact Paints and Coatings with Organic Dyes and Enhanced Thixotropy and Adhesion Properties
SUN CHEMICAL CORP, 2023
Developing food contact paints and coatings that are suitable for direct and indirect contact with food, and methods for printing and packaging using these inks. The paints contain organic dyes that meet specific migration limits to avoid unintended migration of toxic substances into food. The dyes are identified by extraction and analysis to ensure they don't contain banned substances. The paints have good thixotropy, adhesion, strength, and color gamut. The ink sets can have a wider color range than traditional paints with iron oxide pigments.
12. Laser-Printable Display Materials with Pigment-Infused Layer for Consistent Color Change
TOYO BOSEKI, 2023
Display materials and packaging with printing that can be done by laser. The materials have a layer that allows printing when irradiated with a laser. The printing layer contains pigments that change color when excited by laser light. The pigments can be metals like bismuth oxide. The layer thickness for visible laser printing is 5-200 microns. The pigments are mixed with other resins to form the printing layer. The mixing is done in a way to prevent segregation of the pigments during extrusion. This ensures consistent pigment distribution for uniform printing. The materials are laminated and formed into display packages using techniques like vacuum deposition to create gas barriers. The lamination and forming steps are optimized to minimize shrinkage and deformation. The packaging can have a printed logo or text that is visible through the transparent material. The laser printing is distinct from the unprinted areas due to the pigments changing
13. pH-Sensitive Multi-Dye Color-Changing Ink Composition for Packaging
CJ CHEILJEDANG CORP, 2022
A pH-sensitive color-changing ink composition, label, and packaging material that allows consumers to visually monitor product freshness by changing color with pH. The ink composition contains a mix of multiple pH-sensitive dyes that change color at different pH ranges. This enables the ink to transition through multiple colors as the pH changes, providing more nuanced indication of product freshness compared to single-dye indicators. The label and packaging are coated with the ink to display the pH-sensitive color changes.
14. Food Packaging Film with Vinylidene Chloride Resin and Contrasting Blue and White Colorants
KITCHE NISTA CO LTD, 2022
A food packaging film that can be easily identified in food when mixed in, even at low colorant levels, while also having good film properties and production efficiency. The film contains a vinylidene chloride resin, a blue colorant at 0.6-2.4% by mass, and a white colorant at 0.12-0.65% by mass. The low blue colorant content ensures it's barely noticeable in the clear film, but when mixed into food, the contrast with the white colorant makes it easily visible. This allows identifying if the packaging film has separated or contamination occurred during food processing.
15. Pigment Composition Comprising Isoindoline Compounds with Specific Substituents
TOYOCOLOR CO LTD, 2022
Pigment composition for inks, coatings, plastics, packaging, and printing applications that provides improved dispersibility, weather resistance, heat resistance, storage stability, and color fastness. The composition contains isoindoline pigments represented by formulas (1) and (2) with specific substituents. The isoindoline compounds can be synthesized together or mixed afterward. The composition can be used in water-based inks, coatings, plastics, packaging, and printing materials to improve properties compared to conventional isoindoline pigments.
16. Microwave-Safe Black Ink Composition with Nitrocellulose and Polyurethane Resins Containing Carbon Black Pigment with Specific Permittivity and Surface Oxygen Content
SUN CHEMICAL CORP, 2022
Safe black ink for microwaveable packaging that does not ignite or char when exposed to microwave energy. The ink contains nitrocellulose resin, a solvent, polyurethane resin, and a carbon black pigment with specific properties. The carbon black pigment has a low imaginary permittivity below 3 and a surface oxygen content between 1.5-2.5 weight percent. This formulation enables printing true black ink on microwaveable packaging without safety concerns when heated in a microwave.
17. Microwave-Safe Black Ink Composition with Nitrocellulose and Low Permittivity Carbon Black Pigment
SUN CHEMICAL CORP, 2021
Black ink formulation for microwave-safe food packaging that provides safe printing without ignition or burning when exposed to microwaves. The ink contains nitrocellulose resin, a solvent, a polyurethane resin, and a specific type of carbon black pigment with low imaginary permittivity (<3) and surface oxygen content (1-3%) to prevent microwave hazards like ignition and arching.
18. Food Packaging System with Colored Film Comprising Specific Blue and White Colorant Ratios and High Light Transmittance
SHOWA DENKO MATERIALS CO LTD, 2021
A food packaging system with a distinctive colored film that allows easy visual identification of wrapped food items. The packaging system consists of a food wrapping film, a core material, and a box. The film contains blue and white colorants in specific ratios, with a total light transmittance of at least 70%. The blue colorant content is 0.45-2.2% and the white content is 0.15-0.55%. The distinctive coloration makes it easy to visually sort foods wrapped in this film compared to other films.
19. Packaging Material with Heat-Resistant Outer Layer, Thermoplastic Inner Layer, and Metal Foil Interlayer Bonded by Pigmented Adhesive Layers
SHOWA DENKO PACKAGING CO LTD, 2021
Packaging material for molding, such as for battery cases, that prevents cracking and peeling of colored layers during molding and use. The packaging material has an outer heat-resistant layer, an inner thermoplastic layer, a metal foil layer sandwiched between, and two adhesive layers. The adhesive layers hold the foil and layers together. The first adhesive layer contains a colored pigmented adhesive with 2-5% pigment by mass. This prevents the underlying colored layer from peeling off during molding. The colored pigmented adhesive has specific properties like a 0.49 g/m2 weight and 0.25-10 g/m2 applied thickness. This prevents peeling while avoiding excessive thickness issues. The adhesive uses a polyester resin and curable polyester urethane with specific molecular weight and is
20. Microwave-Safe Printing Ink Composition with Nitrocellulose and Low-Permittivity Carbon Black Pigment
SUN CHEMICAL CORP, 2021
Printing ink composition for microwaveable packaging that is safe to use in microwave ovens without igniting, charring, or arcing. The ink contains nitrocellulose resin, carbon black pigment with low imaginary permittivity (≤3) and surface oxygen content (1-3 wt %), solvent, and polyurethane resin. This composition allows printing true black ink on microwaveable packaging without safety issues when exposed to microwave energy.
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