Gas Flushing Pouches For Food Packaging To Give Appealing Look

  • Rating: 4.7/5
  • Posted On: November 12, 2020
  • Written by: Emenac Packaging UK
  • Category: Blog
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Gas flushing is the right option if you are a well-established food packaging firm or a restaurant owner looking to enter food distribution through supermarkets. The question is how it works and if it is suitable for custom food packaging?

Let us first explore information on gas flushing:

Gas Flushing:

It is the process in which different kinds of inert gas like nitrogen is injected inside, sucked out, and re-injected interactively to diminish oxygen from custom made food packaging pouches. The purpose of this modified atmosphere packaging is to enhance the shelf life of the food products. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) causes a change in the atmosphere inside the packaging to preserve the food contained within like poultry, beef, pork, fish, etc. in this way the shelf life of your food products increases. Cheese, poultry, fish, and other perishable food items are subjected to Modified Atmosphere Packaging applications such as gas flushing.

Process of Gas Flushing:

In the process of implementing modified atmosphere packaging, the ratio of oxygen present inside is reduced to 3% or less. The gases used for Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) are generally denser than oxygen gas. That is why, when these inert gases are flushed into the custom made food packaging, the oxygen inside is pushed outside.

Benefits of gas flushing:

  • Enhanced shelf life.
  • Security against discolouring.
  • Provides a protective layer on the packaging.
  • The gasses act as a buffer (a gas which prevents the harmful factors to come in contact with items) to the food products. 

Sometimes gasses are formulated precisely for a certain type of custom food packaging, for instance, a combination of carbon dioxide/monoxide and nitrogen is used for meat packaging. This mandate gas formulation is known as “tri-gas.” Whereas nitrogen surrounds the product inside and carbon dioxide acts as an antimicrobial agent. On contrary, carbon monoxide is a stabiliser that prevents food from discolouring.

Implementation Of Gas Flushing to Your Packaging Line:

You have to make sure that you are fully equipped for the gas flushing process.  It requires a vacuum sealer, different gases, and pouches.

  • Pouches:
    You can order food packaging pouches from any flexible packaging supply company. Or if you have vendors already then reach out to them first. You can also consult a packaging expert to figure out which type of pouch is most suitable for your items.  Shape, size, the weight of your food products, and the number of items are the important aspects that you should take into consideration for getting the best pouches.
  • Vacuum Sealer:
    Vacuum sealers are required to fill the pouches with gases. There are different types of vacuum sealers available in the market. It depends on the type of products and the volume of products you are sealing.
  • Gases:
    The inert gases are required for gas flushing. For this purpose, you can directly speak with a gas provider.  

In custom food packaging gas flushing is a process that is used to provide modified atmosphere packaging. It alters the inside of a special type of pouch to pack specific types of foods. The use of modified atmosphere packaging has become a popular choice when it comes to preserving food. It aesthetically keeps food fresher and pleasing for extended periods.