Oxygen transmission rate

Oxygen transmission rate (OTR) is the measurement of the amount of oxygen gas that passes through a substance over a given period. It is mostly carried out on non-porous materials, where the mode of transport is diffusion, but there are a growing number of applications where the transmission rate also depends on flow through apertures of some description.

It relates to the permeation of oxygen through packaging ^[1] to sensitive foods and pharmaceuticals.

Measurement

Permeation cell setup for the measurement of the oxygen transmission rate

Standard test methods are available for measuring the oxygen transmission rate of packaging materials ^[2] . Completed packages, however, involve heat seals, creases, joints, and closures which often reduce the effective barrier of the package. For example, the glass of a glass bottle may have an effective total barrier but the screw cap closure and the closure liner might not.

ASTM standard test methods include:

• F3136 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate through Plastic Film and Sheeting using a Dynamic Accumulation Method
• D3985 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Coulometric Sensor
• F1307 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Transmission Rate Through Dry Packages Using a Coulometric Sensor
• F1927 Standard Test Method for Determination of Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate, Permeability and Permeance at Controlled Relative Humidity Through Barrier Materials Using a Coulometric Detector
• F2622 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using Various Sensors

Other test methods include:

• The ambient oxygen ingress rate method (AOIR) an alternative method for measuring the oxygen transmission rates (OTR) of whole packages

Wine

Also a factor of increasing awareness in the debate surrounding wine closures, natural corks show small variation in their oxygen transmission rate, which in turn translates to a degree of bottle variation. ^[3]

See also

• Moisture vapor transmission rate
• Permeation
• Shelf life
• Oxygen scavenger

References

• Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN   978-0-470-08704-6
• Massey, L K, "Permeability Properties of Plastics and Elastomers", 2003, Andrew Publishing, ISBN   978-1-884207-97-6
• Sanghyun Lee "Mass Transfer" Konkuk University, 2017
• Hanne Larsen, Achim Kohlr and Ellen Merethe Magnus, "Ambient oxygen ingress rate method", John Wilew & Sons, Packaging Technology and Science, Volume 13 Issue 6, Pages 233 - 241

Footnotes

1. Hua, Qi; Huang, Zhixin; Gou, Jinsheng; Zhang, Huaiyu; Therrien, Isabella; Wu, Jie; Liang, Yalan; Renneckar, Scott (November 2024). "Harnessing the synergistic power of lignin-Ecoflex blends for enhanced performance in food packaging". Chemical Engineering Journal. 499 156139. Bibcode:2024ChEnJ.49956139H. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.156139.
2. {{Cite web|url=https://www.smithers.com/permeability
3. Goode, Jamie, Ph.D. Wines & Vines (August 2008). "Finding Closure". Archived from the original on 2009-04-10.