Saran (plastic)

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Saran is the trade name for a number of polymers made from vinylidene chloride (especially polyvinylidene chloride or PVDC), along with other monomers. The main advantage of Saran foil is a very low water vapor, flavor and aroma molecules, and oxygen permeability compared to other plastics. The barrier to oxygen prevents food spoilage, and the barrier to flavor and aroma molecules helps food retain its flavor and aroma.

In some jurisdictions, the name Saran is a registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company, while in others, it has lost trademark status and become a generic term for these polymers.

[edit] Saran wrap

Main article: Plastic wrap

Saran is best known for having been used in Saran Wrap—a thin, clingy plastic wrap that was sold in rolls and used primarily for wrapping food. Saran Wrap is now a brand of S. C. Johnson & Son.

In July, 2004 the name Saran Original was changed to Saran Premium and the formulation was changed to low density polyethylene (LDPE). SC Johnson claimed that this change was a result of an initiative to look for more sustainable and environmentally acceptable plastic. The film in Saran Premium Wrap does not contain chlorine. However, LDPE does not posess the same barrier qualities to oxygen, aroma, and flavor molecules that vinylidene chloride copolymers do, making the new formulation a lower quality plastic wrap, as it is not as useful in protecting from spoilage or flavor loss.