Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), also known as protective gas packs, are created by evacuating some or all of the air and replacing it with a protective gas mixture (gas flushing). The pack is then hermetically sealed. Barrier films prevent modified atmosphere from escaping or air getting back into the pack.
Food products:
- Longer shelf life and guaranteed quality
- Protection during handling and transportation
Medical Products:
- Sterilization and protection of medical products
Consumer and industrial goods:
Protection against environmental influences
Complete/intact pack contents
- Protection during handling and transportation
Food products: The quality, freshness and flavor of food products is retained for much longer in modified atmosphere packs: specific compositions and concentrations of the various protective MAP gases inhibit the reproduction of micro-organisms, reduce oxidation processes, and protect dry products from moisture, delicate products from crushing, sliced products from sticking together, etc.
Medical Products: In a validatable process, modified atmospheres and various gas mixes may be used to sterilize and protect sensitive medical products.
Industrial and consumer goods: A modified atmosphere pack provides effective protection against environmental influences such as dust, moisture, oxidation and mechanical pressure.
A MAP pack is produced by evacuation and gas flushing. The protective atmosphere inside the pack is optimized for the specific requirements of the product.
- Oxygen (O2) in both the lowest possible (<0.2%) and highest possible concentration (>60%) inhibits the growth of aerobic microorganisms and so increases the shelf life of food products, for example.
- Nitrogen (N2) is mainly used as a stabilizing gas to maintain the pack volume, e.g. for protection during handling or as transportation packaging.
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which helps to lower the pH. This atmosphere inhibits the growth of micro-organisms.
MAP packs can be produced on:
On Multivac thermoformers and tray sealers the volume-controlled gas flushing system (VBS) is generally used. This ensures that the pack contains exactly the right amount of protective gas, for efficient economic use.
Multivac built-in gas analysers can be used to measure whether residual gas levels in the pack are correct after evacuation and gas flushing. In this way the security and integrity of the MAP pack can be assured.
Separate gas analysers can also be used for testing manually after the packaging process is completed.