Fitpak MAP Packaging Solutions

MAP is the acronym for modified atmosphere packaging. It is the preferred packaging practice to prolong the shelf life of products that otherwise lack it, these include, but aren’t limited to, meat and meat products, cheese, fresh or minimally processed vegetables and fruits. The term modified atmosphere refers to altering the levels of various gases inside the packages to keep the contents of the package fresh for longer.

How does MAP work?

The first step of modified atmosphere packaging is to reduce the oxygen level from around 20% to as low as 0%. This step serves to slow down the growth of aerobic organisms by denying them the necessary oxygen which in turn prevents oxidation of your product. The second step entails replacing said oxygen with another gas, for which there is a multitude of options:

1. Nitrogen can be chosen due to being a relatively inert gas to minimize the air interaction with your product.
2. Alternately, carbon dioxide can be preferred to reduce PH( acidity level) or inhibit bacteria growth within the package.
3. Finally, carbon monoxide can be picked as the filling option for meat products to maintain the red colour of meat.

The third and final step of MAP packaging shows variance between different products. The sealing procedure is different for respiring products such as fresh vegetables, fruits and non-respiring products such as meat, cheese and fish. For non-respiring products, the procedure is relatively simple. High barrier films are used to seal the package. High barrier films have very low gas permeability, meaning that the desired levels of various gases inside the package will be maintained and safe from outside intrusion. Respiring products, however, due to their respiring nature pose a problem in terms of maintaining a steady level for the mixture of gases flushed inside the package. This problem is resolved by a practice called equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging. Equilibrium MAP entails, reducing oxygen levels and raising the carbon dioxide levels to slow down the respiring of fruits and vegetables. In addition to this, low barrier films with high gas permeability are used to seal the package, establishing an equilibrium with the gas mixture inside the seal.

Fitpak MAP packaging

Fitpak modified atmosphere packaging comes with all of the above procedures and features associated with MAP packaging but it also offers various added features such as:

• Antifogging to provide clear vision to the contained product
• UV light barrier to prevent or limit light intrusion to the product which could otherwise cause discolouration and reduce the shelf life of the product.
• Strong lock seal for wet and/or oily surfaces.
• The peelable top lid to provide ease of use when opening while still offering good protection against unintended breaches inside the package.
• Multi-layer film laminations and semi-rigid APET foils with thermoforming applications to keep a steady temperature within the package.
• Various colour options for the films, foils and the packages.

Finally, you may also contact Fitpak for a more customized packaging option, should you desire to do so.