In today’s world packaging of food is essential and common: essential because without packaging food safety and quality would be compromised, common since almost every food is packed in some way. Number one function of the packaging is protecting the food from the outside environmental effects of water, water vapor, gases, odors, microorganisms, dust, shocks, vibrations, compressive forces, and so on.
For the majority of foods and beverages in which quality decreases with time, it follows that there will be a limited length of time prior to the product becomes unacceptable. This time from production to unacceptability is referred to as shelf life.
There are three factors affecting the shelf life of the food:
1. Product characteristics, including formulation and processing parameters
2. Environment to which the product is exposed during distribution and storage
3. Properties of the package
There are different materials those used for food packaging including metals, glasses, plastics and paper with a corresponding range of performance characteristics. In thermoforming vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging for fresh meat, sausagees, salami, sliced meat, cooked meat, chicken and poultry products, dairy products, milk derivates, paneer, cheese, gouda cheese, mozzarella cheese, seafood, salmon fillet, fish fillet, schrimps, octopus, bakery products… plastics are used at different grades and with different film layers.
Oxygen barrier properties of the packaging material is the main criteria in selection of suitable material for a particular food. Often, foods are classified according to degree of protection they required, like the maximum moisture absorbtion or Oxygen uptake. Calculations can then be made to determine whether a particular packaging material would provide the necessary barrier required to give the desired product shelf life.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging MAP is an effective technique to preserve perishable chilled foods without resorting to heat processing or chemical preservatives. The preserving effect of MAP derives mainly from the use of CO2 and N2 gases, which inhibits or retards microbial growth significantly above. Sometimes a lower O2 concentration is used alone in packaging with a vacuum or in combination with a high CO2 concentration. Low O2 and moderate accumulation of CO2 provide some degree of microbial inhibition in the permeable packaging of fresh produce with a reduction of physiological senescence. Recently, high O2 concentrations have been applied mainly for fresh produce packaging to inhibit microbial growth without the creation of anoxic conditions. Although some level of O2 may be used to bloom or retain the bright red color of fresh meat, the effectiveness of microbial inhibition for flesh and nonrespiring food products is mostly due to CO2, the effect of which is more pronounced at lower chill temperatures.
Thermoform modified atmosphere packaging MAP and vacuum packaging for fresh meat, sausages, salami, sliced meat, cooked meat, big cut parts, poultry products, chicken products, gouda, mozzarella cheese, paneer, white cheese, seafood, salmon, fish fillet, schrimps, octopus, crab sticks, mussels, bakery products, sandwich, piza base, swiss rolls, tortilla bread, medical kits, medical sponges… is a very good way of protecting the products from environmental effects to increase the shelf life.
