Packaging of Chhana

At present chhana is manufactured in rural households and packed in bamboo baskets lined with leaves or parchment paper and is locally sold to retailers engaged in the manufacture of confection. In eastern part of the country, chhana is also transported to far off places by immersing in chhana-whey containing earthen pots. These methods of packaging are not effective and adequate. During transport and handling the product gets heavily contaminated and deteriorates at faster rate.
 

There is a lack of appropriate packaging systems for chhana meant for marketing.The packaging material should protect chhana from heat, light, oxygen, microbial contamination, moisture loss, foreign odour, etc. The package should also be non-toxic. At best, vegetable parchment paper has been used for chhana packaging, but with limited success. Chhana packaged in tin cans and cellulose films/ LDPE and stored at 37oC has a shelf life of only three days. When poster-paper/ Al. foil/LDPE is used, refrigerated storage for chhana at 4-5oC is required. Chhana stored in tin cans showed the least chemical changes during storage at 37oC. Tin cans and poster-paper/ Al. foil/ LDPE also provided maximum protection against chemical deterioration as compared to other packaging material. The storage of chhana in different types of flexible packaging material tends to increase the water vapour transmission rates and oxygen transmission rates both at 5oC and 37oC. Polycel(300 and 150 gauge, coloured) is low cost and good packaging material for chhana.