You must have seen small packets of Dry Gel Crystals in a lot of packaged products and wondered what they are for? Those packets of crystals contain a desiccant called silica gel, which is often used to protect products from getting damped because of excess moisture. Silica gel is a porous form of silicon dioxide that contains millions of pores that can absorb and hold moisture. It is often found in the form of small gel crystals or the shape of beads and stored in small packets.

As you know, it is important to keep packaged products safe till they are delivered to the customer. That is where silica gel comes to rescue. It prevents damage to products that might occur due to excess moisture and the consequent process of condensation or growth of mould, etc. Silica gel can roughly absorb the amount of moisture that is equivalent to 40% of its weight. That’s why small packets of Silica gel are commonly found in packaged products that range from the category of food items like pepperoni to electronic items and vitamin bottles.

Advantages of using it in Packaging:-

Silica gel is the most commonly used desiccant for packaging because it offers numerous advantages that others do not. The advantages that make it perfect for packaging are as follows:

• Being a desiccant, it absorbs moisture and proves to be a life-saver for products that require protection against dampening. This property even helps increase the shelf life of products like processed foods that are highly sensitive to microbial growth.
• It is considered safe for humans, as it is non-toxic and non-flammable. For this reason, it is even used in the packaging of some seemingly sensitive stuff like food items and medicines.
• Silica gel is pretty durable. It does not corrode and virtually has an indefinite shelf life if it is stored airtight. This makes it a desirable solution for the preservation of packaged goods.
• Its property of being inert that makes it non-corrosive also means that it does not react with other materials in the packaging. In other words, it doesn’t have any adverse side effects on the packaged product.
• Overall, it has stable chemical and thermal characteristics as compared to other desiccants, which give it an edge over others.
• Silica gel is environmentally friendly, as it provides large volume desiccant dryers with lower energy costs. It is also a reusable product, as one can reuse the silica gel by heating it and getting rid of the absorptions from last use.
• It is easily available in many sizes and forms for various applications. This makes it convenient for suppliers to find it and fit into their product packaging for preservation purpose.
• Some of the versions of silica gel that are available in the market come in the form of beads that can change colour. These are helpful for packaging, as they change colour according to the amount of moisture absorbed and thus, keep you informed about the level of protection that may be required further.

The best part about silica gel is that it not only offers clean, affordable and safe packaging but also the option of reuse to customers for personal use at home or office. Once you receive a package safely, you can use the small packets of these magical dry gel crystals for a variety of purposes. The packets can be used for protecting collectables like ornaments and coin collections or inside the drawers in your office to protect your files and other stuff. Just make sure to heat the silica gel to restore it before use.