Modified Atmosphere Packaging MAP Equipment

Xingyuan offers modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) equipment, also called nitrogen or gas flushing equipment, is an innovative technology that extends the shelf-life of food products without the need for preservatives or freezing.

MAP is a unique technology that creates modified atmosphere that can achieve residual oxygen rates of 1% or less. Additionally, products packed with MAP cause no harm to texture or appearance in your products, opening entirely new markets.

Prolonged shelf life will provide you with maximum efficiency in the supply chain, save in spoilage, and will significantly improve your profitability as a producer and supplier of food products.

What is modified atmosphere packaging?

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."

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) define 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 modified atmosphere packaging?

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. These small sachet type packages often contain a mixture of iron powder and as corbic 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.

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 became especially important during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020. Consumers were instructed to leave their homes as infrequently as possible, so many began stocking up on food products with longer shelf lives. As a result, food producers and packagers saw enormous increases in demand for packaged food products that used MAP technologies.

What’s type of Xingyuan modified atmosphere packaging machine ?

Our machines adopt first type: Gas flushing. We use mixers to mix the gas at a predetermined ratio, and when sealing,  machine fills the mixture into the box to replace the air. The common proportion has: Nitrogen 70%,Carbon Dioxide:30%. Nitrogen 100%.  Oxygen 80%,Carbon Dioxide 20%.  The gas mix ratio was pre-set in mixer before assembling machine, can’t change in future. So clients have to tell us flushing gas type or food type to choice mixer model .