Food packaging machines are some of the most ingenious inventions created to benefit the food and beverage industry where safety and freshness of products are highly prioritized. In today's modern world, food packaging machines become very competitive and require a more rigid process than just wrapping for transit. Meat packaging machines for instance is a process that involves packing of edible products by utilizing aseptic packaging materials. At the same time, meat packaging machines must perform the packaging in such a way that the product will stay on its most marketable condition while keeping it fresh for a desirable period of time. The invention of meat packaging machines enables manufacturers to mass produce meat products without wasting time, money and human resource. The same principle applies to other food packaging machines such as in the beverage and bottle industry where goods are packed without any spillages.
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The desire to improve meat packaging machines as well as other types of packaging systems, developers discovered the different effects of gas on food products. This is when Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) takes the center stage.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is a technique used for prolonging the shelf-life period of fresh or minimally processed foods. In this process, modified atmosphere packaging equipment changes the composition of the air surrounding the food in the package, changing its initial fresh state which could increase the freshness of the products.
The main objective of using modified atmosphere packaging equipment is to slow down the natural deterioration of the product. Which helps in extending the shelf-life of perishable products like meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is used with various types of products, where the mixture of gases In the package depends on the type of product, packaging materials and storage temperature.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging or MAP is one of today’s most significant technologies for extending shelf-life for a wide range of food products. MAP is based on alteration of the gaseous environment surrounding the product to compensate for the natural respiration of the product itself, resident micro organisms, as well as the packaging material.
The existing air is replaced with a mixture of CO2, (Carbon Dioxide) and N2, (Nitrogen) which helps inhibit the growth of aerobic bacteria and slows the natural oxidation process. A typical mixture would be 30% Carbon Dioxide and 70% Nitrogen, however, this can vary greatly, depending on the product.