HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2005--EVAL Company of America (EVALCA) today announced the launch of its new KURARISTER(TM) transparent gas barrier film for retort food packaging.

KURARISTER film delivers outstanding gas barrier properties to meet the needs of the rapidly growing retort packaging market. Retort packaging offers manufacturers and consumers an appealing alternative to metal cans, with advantages that include higher food quality, more cost-effective shipping and superior shelf aesthetics.

The new KURARISTER film features a polyester (PET) film substrate with a coating layer based on nanotechnology. The film delivers outstanding oxygen barrier properties of less than 1cc/m2.day.atm, enabling packagers to eliminate metal foil layers from retort packaging, allowing for microwavability and improving environmental performance. The film also offers high transparency and retort resistance, maintaining excellent clarity through the retort sterilization process.

Key advantages of KURARISTER film include:

-- Resistance to high-temperature pressure sterilization at 135 degrees C for 60 minutes

-- High gas barrier after retort treatment; less than 1 cc/m2.day.atm.

-- High transparency, before and after retort sterilization

-- Easy processing for lamination and printing

"KURARISTER film is the result of expertise accumulated over our 30 years in the barrier resin and film businesses," says Gary Wooddell, Director of Marketing. "By improving gas barrier performance for the retort packaging segment, KURARISTER film will help enhance shelf life and food quality, supporting the market's continued expansion."

For more information on KURARISTER film or EVALCA, please visit www.evalca.com .

About EVAL Company of America: EVALCA is a subsidiary of Kuraray Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan. EVALCA manufactures and markets ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer resins under the EVAL(TM) trademark. EVAL resins are characterized by their outstanding gas barrier properties, resistance to solvents, chemicals and hydrocarbons and excellent barrier to odor and flavor permeation. These unique polymers are ideally suited for food, medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, automotive, agricultural and industrial packaging applications. EVALCA also markets a line of EVOH film products that are produced by parent company, Kuraray of Japan, and which are used in a wide variety of demanding barrier applications.