AtmerTM Anti-fog

Anti-fogging
Additives for
Packaging &
Agricultural
Applications
ATMER ™

AtmerTM Anti-fogging
Additives

Bio-based anti-fogging additives providing excellent

performance against hot and cold fogging in plastic.
Performance you can see clearly.
The Atmer™ range of anti-fogging additives provide Keep Packaged Food Looking Good
excellent performance against hot and cold fog in Packaged foods can contain large amounts of moisture
polyolefins, PVC and EVA films. which causes condensation on the inside of packaging.
This can make food less appealing to shoppers and in a
The anti-fogging effect allows condensed water droplets competitive retail environment food needs to look pristine
to spread into a continuous and uniform transparent layer in order to stand out on supermarket shelves. Atmer
on the surface of the film, maintaining the transparency of anti-fogging additives prevent fog build up on the inside of
the film, and therefore light transmission through the film, packages, improving aesthetics and durability of chilled
which is especially useful in a range of applications from and hot foods.
agricultural films to retail and food packaging.
With many physical forms, and products with a wide
range of food contact approvals, there is a broad range of
Atmer Anti-fogging additives to choose from to suit your
specific application and needs.

Fogging in Plastic Films

Fogging is a term used to describe the formation of small
discrete droplets of water on the surface of transparent
plastic films. Fogging most commonly occurs when there
is a temperature differential between the inside and the
outside of an enclosed atmosphere causing localized Without anti-fog small Larger droplets drip Good anti-fog will
droplets reflect light and can focus light result in a thin film of
cooling at the interface. resulting in slower causing plant damage water which will drain
growth and ripening away without dripping
resulting in maximum
Fog formation in food wrapping film obscures the light transmission with
contents, significantly reducing the aesthetic quality of the minimal plant damage
packaged food. In agricultural films it can lead to reduced
light transmission with a consequent reduction in growth
and crop yield. It can also cause damage to the plants
due to burning from a ‘lens’ effect and from continuous
water drip.

2 Food packaging with and without anti-fog

The Atmer range includes a wide variety of additives for use in both food wrap and agricultural films.
All products listed in the table below are amine-free. In addition to pure products, Atmer anti-fogging
agents are also available as concentrates in a polymer carrier.

Product Information
PHYSICAL RAW MATERIAL
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION RECOMMENDED USES
FORM AT 25°C ORIGIN

Anti-fog for Food Wrap

Atmer™ 1006 * Glycerol ester Liquid Vegetable PE and EVA food wrap

Atmer™ 1010 †
Glycerol ester Paste Vegetable Cling in food wrap used in conjunction with Atmer™ 116

Atmer™ 1440 NV Glycerol ester Paste Non-vegetable Polyolefin food wrap

Atmer™ 1440 Glycerol ester Paste Vegetable Polyolefin food wrap

Atmer™ 100 Sorbitan ester Liquid Vegetable PE and EVA food wrap

Atmer™ 116 Ethoxylated sorbitan ester Liquid Vegetable/Synthetic Food wrap in conjunction with Atmer™ 1010

Atmer™ 7340 20% concentrate in Pellet Non-vegetable Clear food wrap applications
polyethylene

Atmer™ 7373 40% concentrate in Pellet Non-vegetable Long lasting benefits in polypropylene
polypropylene

Anti-fog for Agricultural Films

Atmer™ 185 Glycerol ester Microbead Vegetable Agricultural films especially EVA

Atmer™ 103 Sorbitan ester Microbead Vegetable/Non-vegetable † LDPE and PVC agricultural films

Atmer™ 7301 50% concentrate in Pellet Vegetable Long lasting benefits in agricultural films
polyethylene

Atmer™ 7326 50% concentrate in universal Pellet Vegetable Long lasting benefits in greenhouse films particularly
polyolefin carrier triple layer films

*Only available for supply in Asia †

Only available for supply in USA

Product Physical Forms

Atmer anti-fog products are available in up to four physical forms. Please check with your local sales contact for
availability in your region.

Liquid Paste Pellet Microbead

3
ATMER ™

1. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 103 & Atmer 185 – accelerated

greenhouse test LDPE film (180 μm) 2% additive

Applications 9
8
7

Anti-fog rating
6
5
4
3
Agricultural Films 2
Agricultural film poses an extreme challenge for anti- 1
fogging additives with the key factor being longevity of 0
performance. Additives have to be designed to migrate to 0 50 100 150

the surface more slowly and be compatible with the Time on test (days)

polymer matrix in order to slow the rate of extraction Control Atmer 103 Atmer 185
during the service life of the film. Different climate
conditions also need to be considered as a change of
2. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 103 & Atmer 185 – accelerated
additive and usage levels may be required.
greenhouse test EVA film (4% VA, 180 μm) 2% additive

The use of anti-fogging additives in agricultural film causes

condensed water droplets to spread into a thin continuous 9
layer of water, which: 8
7
• Maintains light transmission of the polymer resulting in
Anti-fog rating

6
higher plant growth rates, higher crop yields per plant 5
and earlier crop maturity 4

• Reduces burning of plants and crop spoilage 3

2
• Reduces constant water dripping 1
0
0 50 100 150
Polyethylene Mono Layer Films Time on test (days)
For mono layer agricultural films, the limit of film Control Atmer 103 Atmer 185
performance is typically around 12 months. Atmer 103 is
recommended for use in LDPE and LLDPE based
formulations. 3. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 103 & Atmer 185 – accelerated
greenhouse test EVA film (18% VA, 180 μm) 2% additive

Eva Mono Layer Films

AtmerTM 103 and Atmer 185 can be used for low vinyl 9
acetate (VA) content EVA films. For higher VA content 8
EVA, Atmer 185 provides improved performance over 7
Anti-fog rating

Atmer 103. 6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0 50 100 150
Time on test (days)

Control Atmer 103 Atmer 185

Anti-fog performance scale

1-3 No anti-fogging performance

4-6 Moderate anti-fogging performance

7-9 Very good anti-fogging performance

4
Multi-Layer Co-Extruded Films 4. Cross section of three layer co-extruded film
Agricultural films commonly use a
co-extruded structure to further
enhance their properties. Typically
No anti-fog 50μm LDPE or LLDPE
these structures are employed to
allow the use of the core layer of 200μm
the structure to achieve a controlled
100μm EVA (15-17% VA)
release effect of the anti-fogging Active)
(5%
additive to the surface of the film. Atmer 7326 10%
This layer will be highly loaded,
usually around 5% active with a )
Active 50μm EVA (4-5% VA)
lower 1% active used in the inside 326 2 % (1%
A tmer 7
skin layer. For ultimate longevity,
Atmer 7326 is recommended for
this type of film.

5. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 103 & Atmer 7326 – accelerated

greenhouse test three layer co-extruded film 2% additive

9
8
7
Anti-fog rating

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Time on test (days)

Atmer 103 Atmer 7326

5
ATMER ™

Applications

Food Wrap Film

By adding a suitable anti-fogging additive to food wrap film, condensed water droplets are spread into a thin continuous
layer, maintaining the transparency of the packaging and the durability of the contents. This also improves the presentation
of the food to look more appealing to customers. In general, food wrap applications require short term anti-fogging
performance lasting only the lifetime of the packaged food.

Polyethylene Mono Layer Films Polypropylene

Atmer™ 1440 and Atmer 100 are preferred for polyethylene Atmer 7373 is recommended for polypropylene film at a use
films at a use level of 0.5 – 1.0%. level of 2-5%.

7. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 1440 - cold fog test LDPE film 9. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 7373 - cold fog test PP
(50 μm) 1% additive homopolymer film (50 μm) 3.75% additive

9 9
8 8
7 7
Anti-fog rating

Anti-fog rating

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
0 50 100 150 200 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Time on test (hours) Time on test (days)

Control Standard GMO Atmer 1440 Control Atmer 7373

8. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 1440 - hot fog test LDPE film (50 10. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 7373 - cold fog test PP
μm) 1% additive homopolymer film (50 μm) 3.75% additive

9 9
8 8
7 7
Anti-fog rating
Anti-fog rating

6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
0 50 100 150 200 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time on test (minutes) Time on test (days)
Control Standard GMO Atmer 1440 Control Atmer 7373

6
Case Study

Externally Applied Anti-Fogging Agents Improved Fogging Performance

Some film structures are not amenable to using in Polypropylene Packaging
migratory additives e.g. PET. In this situation, for A polypropylene film manufacturer, supplying
short term anti-fog performance in food wrap the packaging for refrigerated salads in supermarkets, was
best solution is to apply an external coating of using an alternative glycerol based anti-fog additive.
Atmer 116 or Atmer 110. It should be dissolved The supplier found that performance under cold fog
in an appropriate solvent such as water or conditions was especially poor, and that their
isopropyl alcohol, typically at concentrations of customers were complaining about poor sales due to
1-5%. It can be applied by spraying, wet coating fog formation. Fog formation can mislead consumers
or dipping, depending upon the product and into believing that products have been on display for a
manufacturing process. Quantities depend upon long period or are faulty making them appear
surface area and typical requirements range from unattractive.
50-200 mg/m2 of active.
They were supplied with Atmer 7373, a specially
11. Comparative anti-fog performance of Atmer 110 and Atmer 116 –
formulated anti-fog for polypropylene. Having been
hot fog test on PET film incorporated into the polymer at 3.75%, Atmer 7373
10
dramatically reduced the amount of fog forming on the
9
packaging. Over 95% of packages showed complete
8 clarity and no droplet build up, with water droplets
7 spread evenly in a continuous layer across the film.
Reduced fogging
Anti-fog rating

6
5 The supplier also noted that when Atmer 7373 was
4 incorporated into the film, uniform performance was
3 achieved irrespective of position within the cabinet
2
when compared to a glycerol based anti-fog.
1
0
PET Atmer 116 Atmer 110

7
Further Information
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distribution are coordinated through
an extensive worldwide network of
technical and commercial experts.
For further information or guidance
please contact us:

[email protected]

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