Protective gas packaging for food
Protective gas packaging, also known as Modified Atmosphere Packing (MAP), significantly increases the shelf life of a food product compared to packaging under air or vacuuming.
Shelf life is defined as the period of time from the manufacture of a food product to the moment it begins to lose its specific quality characteristics. Quality loss occurs as a result of physical, chemical, enzymatic or microbiological changes.
These changes are not solely dependent on the residual oxygen content in the package at the time of packaging. Rather, all factors that influence the food both before and after packaging are relevant.