Air Liquide's free eBook on protective atmosphere packaging
14/06/2021
Food stays fresh longer with MAP
One major reason why food has limited shelf life is the oxygen in the air outside. This encourages a wide range of bacteria and microbes to develop which attack the food.
In modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), air inside the packaging is replaced by a special gas formulation. This significantly extends food shelf life, without the need for chemical preservatives or stabilisers.
Packaging gas
The possibilities of packaging gas align perfectly with a number of important trends and developments current among consumers. Who doesn't enjoy fresh products that retain their flavour and texture as long as possible? We also consciously opt more often for natural products with as few preservatives as possible.
Another trend has to do with the growing number of single people and single-parent families in society. This intensifies the demand for easy (ready-to-eat) dishes and individually portioned meals. In the end, everybody benefits if we combat food waste, for example, by producing food with a longer shelf life. MAP can make a big contribution to all this.
It also benefits food producers. By extending product shelf life they can expand their markets while also optimising logistics and production processes. And, of course, the longer food shelf life also means greater customer satisfaction.
MAP e-book
There’s no such thing as a universal MAP solution which can be used for any food product or in combination with any packaging. Quite the opposite, MAP is always tailor-made and using it in the right way depends on several factors. That's why Air Liquide has produced an illuminating e-book about MAP which explains all the important aspects in plain language.
The e-book presents the most commonly used MAP formulations and indicates with which food products they can be used. You will also find information on suitable packaging films and machinery, as well as techniques such as compensated vacuum packaging and gas flushing.