FRESH. NATURAL. PRESERVATIVE-FREE.
These buzzwords used to describe food and beverage products are no longer just a passing trend but are becoming the standard for the packaging industry. Consumers demand fresh products that involve minimal processing, yet also desire them to have extended shelf lives. Busy consumers don’t have time to stop at the grocery store every day, and suburbanization has made the convenient neighborhood market a thing of the past.
Food and beverage producers must supply their products to an increasingly globalized market, necessitating longer shelf stability while ensuring optimal taste and texture for their products. Because of this, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) has become increasingly popular for extending the shelf life of fresh items. So what is MAP and how do you know if it’s right for your product?
What is MAP?
According to the FDA, modified atmosphere packaging “involves either actively or passively controlling or modifying the atmosphere surrounding the product within a package made of various types and/or combinations of films.”
One of the first applications of modified atmosphere packaging technology was introduced by McDonald’s, which used MAP for lettuce in bulk-sized packages to be distributed to their retail outlets.
A modified atmosphere can be defined as one that is specially created by altering the natural distribution and makeup of atmospheric gases. When applied to packaging, this involves modifying or controlling the makeup of gases contained within each package to provide optimal conditions for increasing the shelf life and reducing oxidation and spoilage of perishable food and beverage products.
There are two different kinds of modified atmosphere packaging: Passive and active. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines active modified atmosphere packaging as “the displacement of gases in the package, which is then replaced by a desired mixture of gases” and passive modified atmosphere packaging as “when the product is packaged using a selected film type, and the desired atmosphere develops naturally as a consequence of the products’ respiration and the diffusion of gases through the film.”
What are some examples of MAP?
1. Gas flushing
For food and beverage products, nitrogen is most often used to decrease the amount of ambient oxygen within that package, as this gas can increase the rate of product spoilage. Nitrogen gas flush is a MAP option that many of our clients use. This can occur inside the package itself as well as in the steps leading up to packaging, like inside the filling apparatus. During this process, nitrogen gas is actively pumped in to displace oxygen. The FDA reports that this accomplishes three things:
- Displacement of oxygen to delay oxidation
- Decreasing the growth of aerobic spoilage organisms
- Acting as a filler to maintain package conformity
2. Barrier packaging films
Choosing specific packaging films that provide increased protection is another example of modified atmosphere packaging. This is accomplished by using barrier packaging materials that provide decreased permeability to moisture and oxygen, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinylchloride (PVC) or polypropylene (PP), according to FDA. New on the market are ‘smart’ packaging films that can contain indicators of temperature, leakage, food quality, and more.
3. Scavenger or desiccant packs
Another example of MAP is the addition of an oxygen scavenger or desiccant pack to your packaging. According to BAKERY ONLINE, these small sachet type packages often contain a mixture of iron powder and ascorbic acid, and sometimes activated carbon. These ingredients act as catalysts or activators, absorbing ambient moisture and oxygen, thereby removing it from the interior of the packaging thathouses the perishable product.
4. On-package valves
One-way valves added to the exterior of packaging are another example of MAP. These special valves can be added to rollstock film during the packaging process. ONE-WAY VALVES allow certain gases to escape from the package without allowing any outside gases in. This is often done to release pressure created from gases the products release, but can also be done to allow air to escape from packages for better stacking and palletization.
How does modified atmosphere packaging protect food?
Largely, modified atmosphere packaging technologies protect fresh food by decreasing its exposure to oxygen. Oxygen leads to oxidation, which can cause discoloration, spoilage, and off-flavors and textures. By decreasing or controlling the amount of oxygen present in a package, the food product remains fresher longer, extending its shelf life and ensuring it remains attractive to consumers.
Modified atmosphere packaging technologies are especially useful for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which can degrade in a matter of hours when exposed to oxygen. H. Louis Cooperhouse of FOOD SAFETY MAGAZINE reports that MAP in the fresh-cut produce category represents one of the fastest growing categories of modified atmosphere packaging usage. “New fresh-cut fruit offerings that incorporate MAP and other technologies are now available, including pre-cut honeydew, pineapple, and mixed fruit salads with a 10- to 14-day shelf life, and pre-sliced apples with a three- to six-week shelf life,” says Cooperhouse. These products are increasingly being offered at grocery stores to consumers who desire fresh, natural food without preservatives but also value the convenience of an extended shelf life.
Who uses modified atmosphere packaging?
Coffee Roasters
After coffee beans are roasted, they release carbon dioxide. Without MAP, roasters must allow the beans to cool and degas before packaging because the build-up of CO2 can cause the package to burst. However, this can result in beans reaching the consumer that are not at the utmost level of freshness. Staling can occur quickly if beans are EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS for too long.
As a result, many specialty coffee roasters utilize MAP in the form of ONE-WAY VALVES (pictured at left) that allow for the release of carbon dioxide from the coffee bag without letting any ambient environmental gases or contaminants in. This allows for packaging coffee beans at the height of their freshness, preserving the flavors and quality that consumers desire.
Legal cannabis companies
Now that legal cannabis products are available commercially in certain U.S. states and nationwide in Canada, cannabis companies need to make sure their products stay fresher longer to create a premium consumer experience.
When oxygen is mixed with cannabis, the THC cannabinoids turn to CBN cannabinoids, which negatively affects product efficacy, potency, and quality. As a result, top players in the industry have been investing in AUTOMATED CANNABIS PACKAGING SYSTEMS that feature MAP technologies like nitrogen gas flush to extend product shelf life.
Producers of fresh fruits and vegetables
Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables will often use many forms of modified atmosphere packaging, including nitrogen gas flush and the use of specific barrier packaging films. Fresh produce is especially sensitive to environmental conditions and oxidation, and thus often must utilize more than one tactic to preserve their freshness and stall perishing.
Nitrogen gas flush will displace oxygen within the package, thereby decreasing oxidation which leads to discoloration, off-flavors, and spoilage. Barrier packaging films double down on preservation efforts by keeping excess moisture, ambient gases, and contaminants out of the package while simultaneously maintaining the proper atmosphere inside the bag.
Specialty snack producers
With the increase of ‘SNACKIFICATION’, many on-the-go consumers no longer have set meal times and prefer to snack throughout the day on healthful foods. To maximize convenience to consumers but still offer the natural, preservative-free products they desire, snack producers increasingly use barrier packaging films to protect the freshness of their product and extend shelf life. While barrier films usually cost more, consumers by and large are happy to pay a premium for convenient snack products that will last longer and result in less product waste.
Need a packaging system that includes MAP?
Pack Synergy has many years of experience integrating our packaging machines with modified atmosphere packaging solutions from top suppliers. Interested in a full packaging automation solution that uses MAP technologies? First, let’s nail down some details. Start planning your automated packaging system with our free PROJECT SCOPE PLANNER: