Revolutionary gas barrier resin
MX-Nylon
Global market share
80%+
A fresh idea
Plastic bottles are used for virtually all kinds of beverages. However, most drinks sold in plastic bottles are cold. There is a specific reason for this: to date, plastic has not been able to provide a sufficient gas barrier to prevent heat from escaping and taking a drink’s flavor and aroma with it. A gas barrier is essential to preserve the freshness and flavor of a bottle’s content, which it does by preventing carbon dioxide from leaking out and oxygen from permeating in. MGC’s polyamide resin MX-Nylon effectively blocks the transfer of molecules, enabling drinks to stay fresh and flavorful. MX-Nylon improves the shelf life of carbonated drinks and its properties are also suitable for hot drinks like coffee and tea. The new MX-Nylon technology is also increasingly being used for alcoholic beverages like wine and beer, opening a whole new realm of the beverage industry for the numerous advantages of plastic containers.
01Polyamide resin with superior gas barrier qualities
The standard plastic bottle used today is made with a single layer of polyethylene terephthalate, otherwise known as PET. These PET bottles are able to contain liquid, but they have a weakness in that carbon dioxide leaks out through the plastic and oxygen permeates into the bottle, which shortens shelf life and ultimately affects flavor. Multilayer PET bottles made that include an interlayer of MGC’s MX-Nylon look identical to PET bottles, but offer revolutionary performance for their high gas barrier that effectively prevents molecules from crossing the barrier thereby sealing in freshness and flavor. This performance plus the additional benefits of stronger durability and efficient recyclability are making MX-Nylon a promising candidate as a key beverage container material of the future.
02Optimal performance and design with MX-Nylon and PET
One of the key attributes of MX-Nylon is that it is readily combinable with other materials. MX-Nylon works well with polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and other commonly used plastics. Placing an MX-Nylon layer between PET layers enhances a bottle’s performance while its plasticity facilitates bottle design that is best suited to the bottle content. The slight improvement of inserting an interlayer of MX-Nylon creates bottles that hold carbonation longer and seal freshness in fruit drinks. Its pliability and gas barrier properties also expand the potential use of plastic containers into areas such as alcoholic beverages and food products. It’s a transparent revolution with potential for a wide range of applications.
03Ultra-thin, environmentally friendly plastic bottles
The benefits of MX-Nylon go beyond keeping beverages fresher longer. Its ultra-thin and highly effective properties makes it possible to combine MX-Nylon with PET to produce thin-wall containers that use less resources and are lighter than conventional plastic bottles. While using less resources to make the bottles and reducing food waste by keeping the contents fresher longer, the biggest environmental contribution may be MX-Nylon making it possible to replace more glass bottles with lightweight plastic bottles. Lighter weight requires less energy from transport vehicles, resulting in reduced emissions of harmful CO2 emissions.
Bonus Feature!MX-Nylon promises a revolution for other foods too
Oxidation is a key culprit in food losing their flavor and can even make foods unsafe to eat. MX-Nylon is ideal for containers used to preserve any type of food. In fact, its use in the food industry is already spreading and currently includes use in a container keeping ham fresh and in a versatile retort pouch for ready-made curry. MX-Nylon is rapidly becoming an invisible contributor to better-tasting, longer-lasting food of all types, shapes and sizes.
