Modified atmosphere packaging is the first choice for food preservation

Modified atmosphere packaging is the first choice for food preservation

Modified atmosphere packaging is an inevitable trend in food preservation processing

As early as the middle of the last century, foreign developed countries have used modified atmosphere preservation technology for food packaging, and are favored by consumers. However, the introduction of modified atmosphere packaging into China was not smooth at the beginning, and the market acceptance was not very high. In Europe and the United States, people like to go to the supermarket to buy the packaged ready-made products, while the Chinese like to go to restaurants to eat, or go to the market to buy fresh meat dishes and cook them at home. Therefore, when some international modified atmosphere packaging machinery companies first entered the Chinese market, there was basically no modified atmosphere packaging.

Zhejiang Mingwei Machinery Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer specializing in the research, development and production of air-conditioning fresh-keeping equipment. With more than ten years of industry accumulation, the air-conditioning machines it supplies are well received by customers. Modified atmosphere protective packaging gives food a longer shelf life, better freshness, better taste, color and shape. The modified atmosphere protective gas in the package acts on the microbial and biochemical reactions in the food and thus delays the spoilage of the food. For example, the vast majority of fresh meat counters in large supermarkets in China only store unsold meat in refrigerators. Such meat generally has a fresh-keeping period of only 1-2 days. After the use of modified atmosphere packaging, it can be greatly extended. It has a shelf life of 5-7 days. Therefore, whether it is vegetables or fruits, meat or fish, modified atmosphere preservation technology has become an inevitable trend for the processing and packaging of fresh food.

Now, with the continuous high-speed growth of China's economy and the continuous improvement of domestic consumption levels, consumers pay more and more attention to the safety and freshness of food, and fresh food will definitely become a new economic growth point for food production enterprises. At the same time, modified atmosphere protection technology is an important part of the quality monitoring system of modern food processing industry. It is a more reliable and cost-effective advanced technology for deep freezing or the traditional way of using preservatives.

Modified atmosphere packaging has broad application prospects in food

Application of CO2 in food packaging.

A Swedish company has introduced bags, containers and storage rooms filled with 100% CO2 gas to store meat. High concentration of CO2 can hinder the reproduction of microorganisms such as aerobic bacteria and mold, prolong the stagnation period and exponential growth period of microorganism growth, and play the role of anti-corrosion and anti-mold. This method enables pork to be stored for 120 days without freezing, and longer storage time if it is re-pressurized. This method has attracted great attention from meat exporting countries such as the United States and Australia.

Recently, American experts adopted new technology to make plastic packaging materials with CO2. That is, using a special catalyst, CO2 and ethylene oxide (or propylene oxide) are mixed in equal amounts to make a new plastic packaging material, which is characterized by glass-like transparency and airtightness; similar to polycarbonate and polyamide Resin; it will not be completely decomposed into gas at 240 ° C; it has the characteristics of biodegradation and will not pollute the environment and soil.

my country has successfully used nanotechnology to efficiently catalyze CO2 synthesis of degradable plastics. That is, the catalyst used to make plastics from CO2 is "smashed" to the nanometer level to realize the polymerization of catalytic molecules and CO2, so that each gram of catalyst can catalyze about 130g of CO2, and synthesize a new packaging material containing 42% CO2. As an environmentally friendly material with excellent degradability, it has broad application prospects.

The application of N2 in food packaging.

Nitrogen (N2) is an ideal inert gas and has special effects in food packaging: it does not react chemically with food and is not absorbed by food, can reduce the oxygen content in the packaging, and greatly inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria, molds and other microorganisms , slow down the oxidative deterioration and spoilage of food, so as to keep food fresh. Nitrogen-filled packaged food can also prevent the food from being squeezed and broken, the food sticking or shrinking into a ball, and maintaining the geometric shape, dryness, brittleness, color, aroma and other advantages of the food.

At present, nitrogen-filled packaging is rapidly replacing traditional vacuum packaging, and has been applied to fried potato chips and fries, oil-cooked food, etc. Favored by consumers, especially children and youth, nitrogen-filled packaging is expected to be used in more food packaging.

Application of compound gas in packaged food.

The composite modified atmosphere fresh-keeping packaging is collectively referred to as MAP packaging internationally, and the modified atmosphere fresh-keeping gas used is generally composed of CO2, N2, O2 and a small amount of special gases. CO2 can inhibit the growth and reproduction of most aerobic spoilage bacteria and molds; O2 inhibits the growth and reproduction of most anaerobic spoilage bacteria; maintain the color of fresh meat, maintain the oxygen-rich respiration and freshness of fresh fruits and vegetables; N2 is used as filling gas.

The composition ratio of the composite gas is properly selected according to the type of food, preservation requirements and packaging materials to achieve the effect of high preservation quality of the packaged food, good preservation of nutrients, truly achieving the original properties and delaying the shelf life of preservation. At present, composite modified atmosphere fresh-keeping packaging has been widely used at home and abroad.

Opportunities and challenges coexist in my country's modified atmosphere packaging market

From the above, we can clearly understand that modified atmosphere packaging has become a widely used method of food preservation, which is affecting the packaging of meat, cheese, fish, poultry and other fresh and prepared foods as well as these in foreign countries. Sales of food products in the global market. In my country, the research on the preservation of modified atmosphere packaging began in the late 1980s, and its application in production and commerce is only a matter of recent years. However, in view of the current development situation in my country, the market of modified atmosphere packaging is favored by industry insiders. . However, we should also see that there are still mixed situations in the domestic modified atmosphere packaging equipment production industry, which affects the process of the food modified atmosphere packaging market to a certain extent.

It is understood that there are a lot of domestic food packaging technology materials, but the technology is backward, and it focuses on theory, and its practicability is not strong. If my country's food packaging industry wants to integrate into the new trend of international food packaging, take the initiative in the fierce market competition, and shorten the gap between my country's food packaging industry and developed countries, it must introduce and absorb foreign food packaging new technologies. Therefore, it is of great significance to increase the development, research and application of new food packaging technologies in my country. In order to meet the needs of modern society, the introduction of foreign advanced modified atmosphere packaging technology is an important condition for improving the level of modified atmosphere packaging technology in my country and maintaining, improving and extending the nutritional value of food.

All in all, modified atmosphere packaging is both a challenge and an opportunity for my country's food preservation and processing market. It is believed that with the increasingly mature and rational market demand, China's modified atmosphere food preservation packaging will flourish in a short period of time and become the mainstream of consumers' purchase of food. Food preservation is inseparable from modified atmosphere packaging.