We often talk about "barrier properties" on our company blog, and this time, we'd like to introduce a method for visualizing the oxygen barrier performance of our products. This method was unveiled at our internal MK Presentation (our QC Circle Activity Presentation) in April 2025.

What Are Barrier Properties?

Barrier properties refer to a material's ability to block gases, moisture, and odors. For example, when food is stored in a container with oxygen barrier properties, oxidation can be prevented, extending the shelf life and helping reduce food waste. However, even if a pouch container itself has barrier properties, oxygen can still pass through if the cap or spout used with it doesn't. This leads to issues such as quality deterioration or discoloration of the contents.

Caps and Spouts with Oxygen Barrier Properties

To address the issue of oxygen permeation through caps and spouts, ASKA Company has developed the “AS Barrier Spout,” a cap and spout system with built-in oxygen barrier performance. We conducted third-party testing, and the results showed that oxygen transmission was reduced by approximately 50% compared to conventional components.
However, external testing comes with challenges—it takes time and incurs costs. Moreover, numerical data alone (such as oxygen transmission rate) doesn't always convey the effectiveness of the barrier performance in a way that resonates with users.
This was a major concern for us: how to help people intuitively understand the actual benefits of barrier performance beyond just the numbers.

現行の樹脂とバリア性改善開発品の酸素透過性の評価比較

Evaluating Barrier Properties In-House

Oxygen barrier performance is particularly important for food packaging. To help our team truly understand and experience this, we searched for contents and storage conditions that would clearly show the differences. This led us to the idea of putting grated daikon radish into spouted pouches and storing them at a constant temperature of about 60°C for around one week.

Here are the results of our evaluation using actual contents. (Note: The same type of pouch was used in all tests.)

Left: With barrier properties / Right: Without barrier properties (cap and spout)

You can clearly see that the pouch without oxygen barrier properties is significantly discolored, while the one with barrier properties has minimal discoloration. This visual difference makes the barrier performance easy to understand at a glance.
We believe that conducting this type of evaluation helps people better visualize how the product will actually perform when filled with contents. Additionally, being able to assess the presence and degree of barrier performance in-house serves as a useful guideline when external testing is necessary for precise measurement. It allows us to narrow down the test candidates to only those with the highest potential, making the process more efficient.
As a result, we can save both time and cost by sending only the most promising samples for third-party testing.

Consult with Us for Barrier Spout Pouch Testing!

This article introduced our method for visualizing oxygen barrier performance. If you're wondering, "Can we test this with our product?" or "Can we try under these specific conditions?"—please feel free to reach out. We’re happy to work with you to find the best solution.
For any questions or testing inquiries, please contact your ASKA sales representative.