You may find it interesting that gases are used in food packaging, and not all packages contain the same gases. You may have seen food packages with empty spaces. Most people think of these spaces to contain air. But the fact of the matter is that these spaces contain gases. Food packaging companies remove air from these packages and fill up some specific gases to protect the main products.
The process of replacing air with gases in food packages is known as modified atmosphere packaging, also known as MAP. In this article, we will discuss gases used in MAP.
The process of MAP usually aims for replacing oxygen with a specific gas or mixture of other gases to help protect food and slow down its spoilage. Factors that contribute to spoilage include the following.
- Microorganisms
- Enzymes
- Oxidation
- Light exposure
- Parasites, rodents, and insects
- Physical damage to the product
- Temperature
- Time
Producers have been using gases to help prevent spoilage caused by these factors. Regardless of which gas you use for MAP, the purpose is to enhance food preservation. These food-grade gases, combined with packaging materials, can help prevent food spoilage caused by one or more of the factors mentioned above. It is pretty interesting to note that most gases used in MAP exist in the atmosphere. The air we breathe in consists of 21% of oxygen, 78% of nitrogen, 0.9% of argon, and 0.1% of multiple gases, including nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and other trace gases.
Now, let’s discuss some gases used in food packaging and modified atmosphere packaging.
Nitrogen (N2)
This gas exists in the air we breathe in. Packaging companies extract this gas from the air and use it for modified atmosphere packaging. This inert gas is tasteless and odorless, and it is used for displacing air from food packaging. In other words, this gas is more like a filter gas. This gas is commonly used for packaging potato chips, cereals, and other dry products such as cocoa powder, powdered milk, coffee, and nuts. It is also used as a filter gas for beverages, including soft drinks and mineral water.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Using carbon dioxide in food packaging contributes to slowing down oxidation. Nonetheless, foods with moisture can absorb carbon dioxide inside the package, and it can result in the package collapsing. That is why food packaging companies mix carbon dioxide with nitrogen to prevent CO2 from getting absorbed into food products. CO2 also slows down the production of bacteria, yeast, and microorganisms. This gas is most commonly used for the carbonation of sodas. This gas is also used in the packaging of hard cheese and yogurt.
Carbon monoxide (CO)
This gas is colorless, odorless, tasteless, flammable, and toxic. That is why the use of this gas in food packaging is not allowed in every region of the world. Companies that use this gas use it in very small proportions to prevent its adverse effects. It is most commonly used to prevent the spoilage of meat.
If you are a food company and want to use gases to prevent spoilage of your products, you can use these gases with the help of special equipment. You may need to discuss everything with your packaging vendor in this regard.
