Oxy­gen trans­mis­sion rate (OTR) test­ing: Pre­cise data for safe packaging

Oxy­gen per­meab­il­ity determ­ines shelf life and product pro­tec­tion. Using state-of-the-art meas­ure­ment tech­no­logy, we determ­ine the OTR of pack­aging mater­i­als in our early-stage labor­at­ory – pre­cisely, in accord­ance with stand­ards, and accred­ited. This allows bar­ri­ers to be spe­cific­ally eval­u­ated, com­pared, and optimized.

Why OTR is so import­ant
Wheth­er in med­ic­al tech­no­logy, phar­ma­ceut­ic­als, or food pack­aging, oxy­gen is one of the most crit­ic­al factors for product safety. Even small amounts can cause oxid­a­tion, qual­ity loss, or loss of ster­il­ity.
The oxy­gen trans­mis­sion rate (OTR) test meas­ures how effect­ively a mater­i­al pre­vents oxy­gen from enter­ing – a key basis for the devel­op­ment and approv­al of safe packaging.

Our test­ing tech­no­logy: MOCON OX-TRAN® ²⁄₂₂ H with Coulox sensor
For pre­cise determ­in­a­tion of the OTR, we use the MOCON OX-TRAN® ²⁄₂₂ H in our Früh labor­at­ory, a state-of-the-art test­ing sys­tem with a cou­lo­met­ric sensor (Coulox prin­ciple).
The mater­i­al sample is clamped between two chambers:

• One cham­ber con­tains 100% oxygen,
• while the oth­er con­tains an oxy­gen-free car­ri­er gas mix­ture (98% N₂ / 2% H₂).

The oxy­gen dif­fus­ing through the mater­i­al is absorbed by the car­ri­er gas and detec­ted elec­tro­chem­ic­ally in the sensor.
The meas­ured cur­rent is dir­ectly pro­por­tion­al to the amount of oxy­gen, res­ult­ing in an accur­ate, repro­du­cible assess­ment of the bar­ri­er performance.

Meas­ure­ments com­pli­ant with inter­na­tion­al stand­ards
Our tests are car­ried out strictly in accord­ance with ASTM D3985, ASTM F1927, ISO 15105 – 2, and DIN 53380 – 3.
This means that the res­ults are inter­na­tion­ally com­par­able and fully ISO/IEC 17025 accred­ited.
We test at 23 °C / 50 % RH as stand­ard, but on request we can also sim­u­late dif­fer­ent tem­per­at­ure and humid­ity con­di­tions to real­ist­ic­ally reflect actu­al stor­age or trans­port conditions.

Areas of application

• Med­ic­al tech­no­logy: Ensur­ing the ster­il­ity of bar­ri­er systems
• Phar­ma­ceut­ic­als: Pro­tec­tion against oxid­a­tion and act­ive ingredi­ent degradation
• Food: Shelf life assess­ment and mater­i­al comparison
• Research & devel­op­ment: Selec­tion and optim­iz­a­tion of new films or com­pos­ite systems

Your bene­fits

• Product safety: Object­ive assess­ment of oxy­gen bar­ri­er performance
• Qual­ity & com­pli­ance: Test­ing in accord­ance with inter­na­tion­ally recog­nized standards
• Flex­ib­il­ity: Stand­ard­ized or cus­tom­ized test conditions
• Expert­ise: Tech­nic­ally sound eval­u­ation by exper­i­enced labor­at­ory experts

Con­clu­sion

With OTR test­ing, we provide you with reli­able data for informed mater­i­al decisions – from devel­op­ment to series pro­duc­tion. This res­ults in pack­aging safety that deliv­ers what it promises.

Have your mater­i­al tested in the Früh labor­at­ory – pre­cise, accred­ited, and com­par­able.
Request OTR Test­ing now