Product spoilage can occur from the moment a food item has been produced. Increased consumer demand for fresh, high quality preservative-free foods has led to the development of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). MAP or 'gas flushing' as it is also known, is an increasingly popular technique used to easily and economically improve product quality and extend shelf-life.
Flushing packaged foods with inert high purity nitrogen retards aerobic spoilage and oxidative deterioration by typically reducing the oxygen level in packaged foods to below 1% so that food tastes as good as the day it was packaged. Nitrogen is primarily used to reduce the oxygen content within food packaging and to avoid product deterioration. A secondary reason for using nitrogen is as a filler gas to provide a pressurised atmosphere that prevents package collapse, an important consideration for consumer brands.
MAXIGAS and MIDIGAS nitrogen gas generators are cost effective alternatives to other nitrogen sources with on-going refill costs or other costs associated with order processing or multiple deliveries. It is also a safer alternative to the manual handling of high-pressure nitrogen gas cylinders.
Downtime is minimised due to the permanent availability of an on-demand nitrogen supply, giving manufacturers increased control. MAXIGAS and MIDIGAS require minimal maintenance and can also bring valuable space saving advantages.
The development of food packaging machines with integrated gas flushing capabilities and the supply of 'food grade' nitrogen by Parker domnick hunter allows food manufacturers to enhance the quality of their products.
