Two people can quote an “oxygen barrier” figure and describe different things: the rate oxygen passes through the wall (OTR) vs the oxygen actually inside the sealed pack (TPO). OTR = 0 does not mean TPO = 0.

Ask for a finished-bottle number, the test conditions, and whether the system is active or passive. In our own 1% production-trial comparison (6 bottles), NHH measured 0.185 cc/pkg·day vs a commercially available benchmark’s 0.442 under the same conditions.

Oxygen attacks vitamin C, polyphenols, amino acids, fatty acids, natural colourants and antioxidants — and enables the growth that creates off-tastes, off-odours and rancidity. The sharpest early loss often comes from residual headspace oxygen, not oxygen through the wall.

Two responses: remove headspace oxygen at fill (nitrogen sparging) and use an active oxygen scavenger. Measure vitamin C / polyphenol retention over time, not just at one point.

Light degrades vitamins, oxidises lipids and proteins, and changes colour. For milk, dairy, white nutrition shakes and clear functional drinks, a transparent bottle can be the wrong choice. A light-filter masterbatch keeps a premium look while blocking the wavelengths that hurt the product.

Check visible-light efficiency at your wall thickness, haze, bottle-blowing behaviour and food-contact status. Our TiO₂-based filter uses a pure PET carrier and is available pre-dried.

Barrier, clarity and rPET content usually push against each other. A well-designed masterbatch reduces the penalty but isn’t magic. Ask whether it works with your rPET blend, what the haze penalty is, and whether the comparison is on a finished bottle.

We keep the barrier and light-filter systems as separate, tunable options, on a pure PET carrier to reduce haze — so you can see exactly what you are trading.