PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AARON HAND |
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Active Packaging Technology Improves Seafood Safety, Shelf Life The SeaWell Protective Active Packaging System from Aptar Food + Beverage – Food Protection integrates technology that keeps excess liquid from accumulating around the seafood, thereby reducing bacterial growth, preserving quality, and improving consumer perception.
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HE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY has long faced a number of challenges at the grocery store—a perceived lack of freshness, excess liquid in the package that can cause contamination issues, and concerns about safe handling. Advances in active packaging are working to combat these problems, thereby extending seafood shelf life, mitigating in-package liquid buildup, and improving hygiene through a more touchless consumer experience. In a study with Virginia Tech, Aptar Food + Beverage has shown the ability of its SeaWell Protective Packaging System to reduce bacterial growth and preserve seafood quality throughout the supply chain. Launched in mid-2020, the packaging integrates technology that absorbs excess liquids that would otherwise accumulate around the seafood. The absorbent materials trap excess fluids inside pockets or wells integrated into the bottom of the package—also improving consumer perception. As the world’s most widely traded animal protein on a global basis, seafood in the U.S. is nonetheless consumed at significantly lower rates. Perceived lack of freshness and safety are drivers in this consumption gap, Aptar notes in a scientific paper focused on its SeaWell technology. “Even closer to the coasts, the seafood industry faces longstanding struggles to convince consumers of product freshness and safety,” the paper says, citing a study from Sustainable Fisheries. “With 62 to 65% of U.S.-consumed seafood originating from other countries, even those who live near the ocean may find themselves buying seafood that has traveled thousands of miles to reach their kitchens.”
Your seafood is weeping Packaging can play a key role not only in maintaining seafood freshness and safety, Aptar argues, but also in improving consumer perception.
IMAGE COURTESY OF APTAR
The SeaWell technology can be incorporated into absorbent trays and pouches to significantly limit liquid buildup to improve safety and extend freshness and shelf life.
Often, seafood is packaged in foam trays with synthetic pads and overwrap. It’s a cost-effective solution, but it provides little protection from the buildup of bacteria and excessive liquid. Punctures and leaks are common throughout the supply chain, so those packages often need to be rewrapped as well. Premium packaging solutions such as vacuum skin packs still fail to handle the high levels of liquids that seafood produces, Aptar says. It’s inevitable that seafood will weep—meaning it will lose weight related to moisture emission. “However, an extensive amount of weeping is an indication of food proteins breaking down and an overall product quality degradation,” explains Christa Biggs, manager of business development for Aptar Food + Beverage – Food Protection. “The SeaWell system controls excess liquid www.profoodworld.com
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| August 2021
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PROFOOD WORLD
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7/22/21 8:11 AM
