As the market for value-added, minimally processed, pre-packaged food grows, manufacturers find different ways to effectively package these oxygen, moisture, aroma and time-sensitive products.
While there are many packaging methods to extend a food product's life, the main objective is clear -- to retard microbial spoilage and provide the freshest, safest product possible to consumers. Although modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) -- the insertion of a mixture of gases usually including oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen into a package to preserve food -- is a popular method that appeals to consumers' preference for fresh and additive-free foods, other food preservation techniques in combination with MAP are gaining acceptance. "What we're talking about these days is not just modified atmosphere, but a more holistic approach or 'hurdle' approach," said Dr. Aaron Brody, managing director of industry consultancy Rubbright * Brody, Inc. "It isn't simple single technology, it's multiple technologies integrated together establishing obstacles for microorganisms to grow. These obstacles can be combinations of temperature control, pH control, water activity control and atmospheric control all in concert with each other," said Brody.
Each element of the MAP equation -- gas, equipment and film suppliers -- must work in harmony to create a successful MAP package. Michael Thaler, director of marketing at Air Liquide America (Houston, TX), notes that many factors must be examined before a food company implements a MAP system. quot;Generally, we take a look at the entire system from the receipt of the raw ingredients that [are] used to make the product, all the way through the processing, packaging, the gases and holding at the storage facility," Thaler said.