For over 20 years, hermetic packaging with regulated modified gas atmosphere has been used for packaging vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, culinary, bakery, confectionery products, and other food items in Western European countries and the USA.
About 90% of vacuum-sealed packaging in Europe is standardized with the use of modified gas atmosphere (MGA) technology. Taking into account the specificities of Western logistics and product implementation schemes, as well as the high cost of technology and corresponding machinery, it can be concluded that the Ukrainian market is still ahead. However, the interest of domestic manufacturers in gas packaging technologies is growing dynamically.
There are two main ways to extend the shelf life of products: vacuum packaging or packaging with a created modified gas atmosphere (MGA) inside. In the first case, air is removed from the package or film used for packaging the product, followed by sealing, which passively affects the degradation processes. The creation of MGA immediately after air removal is accomplished through the automation of specialized packaging equipment used by our clients. The chosen gas mixture composition actively influences the product degradation processes and increases their shelf life. The gas does not deform or compress the product, which is important for packaging many meat products, fresh bread, preserves, ready-to-eat dishes, and semi-finished products.
When packaging many products, it is possible to eliminate the presence of oxygen in the MGA, which is responsible for oxidation processes, rancidity of fats, and spoilage caused by anaerobic bacteria growth. However, there are cases where a certain amount of oxygen is recommended, such as in the enzymatic oxidation of fresh meat. Preserving the bright red color of beef, associated with its freshness and resulting from the oxidation of myoglobin from a purplish-red color to oxymyoglobin, requires a high concentration of O2 in the packaging. In the MGA system, it is especially important to maintain the correct proportion of oxygen in the mixture. Food products can be divided into two groups: “breathing” (with biochemical metabolic activity) and “non-breathing” (prepared dishes, pastes, etc.). Depending on this, storage conditions for the product and the composition of the MGA are recommended.
Experiments show that the optimal composition of the gas atmosphere is individual for different fresh products, but the CO2/O2 ratio should be maintained at >1.6, depending on the type of product. The average gas mixture consumption is 1-2 liters per 1 kg of product. Different gas consumption rates from a single cylinder depend on the type of packaging machine. A standard 40-liter cylinder with an 80% nitrogen + 20% carbon dioxide mixture (6.48 cubic meters of the mixture in the cylinder) allows packaging from 350 to 500 kg of product in chamber-type machines and up to 4 tons in thermoforming machines.
