Original freshness and shelf life guaranteed

Food is a biologically sensitive substance. Its freshness and shelf-life are affected by a product’s inherent properties. These include the presence of microorganisms, cell respiration, pH and food composition. External factors, such as temperature, hygienic conditions, gas atmosphere and processing methods can also impact the quality of a product. MAP is a natural shelf-lifeenhancing packaging method that maintains the quality of food by retaining its original taste, texture and appearance.

MEAT & MAP

Zibo tray sealing machines can move through a vacuum and subsequent gas cycle where the right food gas is inserted into the meat trays to ensure that the right environment is present in the pack. The effect is that the pack inhibits microbial growth activity by effectively slowing down the spoilage or ageing process. The gas composition would be different for raw red meat and raw chicken. Carbon dioxide content in the pre-mixed gas is important as most microorganisms are strongly affected by the presence of CO² to prevent spoilage.

In the event of vacuum skin packaging, the vacuum cycle of the tray sealing machine is not followed by the gas flush cycle. A top sealing film (skin) seals over the meat cut onto the bottom of the tray surface. In this sterile environment, the meat products’ shelf-life is greatly extended.

FRESH FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Fresh produce is living material and continue to respire after harvesting and processing. To extend a product’s shelf-life, the rate of aerobic respiration must be decreased. The slower the product's respiration → the longer a products’ shelf-life. Many factors influence respiration and shelf-life including the type of produce, temperature, maturity at harvest, mechanical injury and contamination.

In the case of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables packed in a rigid PET tray, the modified atmosphere can be achieved. This is not necessarily by flushing the pack with a gas. While successful, it can be more expensive, but by sealing the tray with a permeable (breathable) top lidding film. This allows the fresh, living product to respire to effectively reduce the ripening or ageing process and in doing so, extending the product’s shelf-life.

Micro-perforated lidding films (mostly laser perforated) are supplied by Zibo to seal and preserve a wide range of fresh fruit and veg products.