Gas to preserve food: uses from chips to salad

Reducing waste, protecting organoleptic properties, facilitating storage and warehousing, reducing the number of journeys needed for distribution and the associated expenses: these and many others are the capabilities of gases used to preserve food and leading to their massive use in agribusiness. In particular, the possibility of improving the shelf-life of food with positive consequences for the entire food chain is shown to be of particular interest throughout the food sector..

Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide or argon, individually or mixed, are able to create protective atmospheres that slow down food degradation, optimizing food preservation.

In a world where consumers are increasingly attentive to food and its qualities, and where having efficient production processes can make a difference to business competitiveness, gases are a valuable ally for the entire food sector.

Here are all the benefits of using food gas for food preservation.

Food storage, packaging in a protective atmosphere

Protective Atmosphere Packaging or MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) is done through the dilution or complete elimination of air inside the food package. This is possible by replacing it with a food-grade inert gas or gas mixtures.

This operation is intended to prolong the commercial life of products.

Nitrogen, carbon dioxide or argon block or reduce enzymatic and biochemical degradation of products, as well as that generated by the microorganisms present, thus extending the shelf life of food; namely,prolonging the period of time that the product maintains the characteristics of flavor, color, aroma, texture, nutritional value, and sanitary safety.

This is all in the name of sustainability to avoid unnecessary food waste.

A short shelf-life, on the other hand, results in the need to dispose of the food prematurely, if only because it does not look natural.

The protective atmosphere provided by food gases protects:

Quality
Safety
Food shelf-life

This applies to a wide variety of foods, from meat and fish to vegetables and liquids. Let’s look at some examples below:

Nitrogen for chips and coffee

Nitrogen is an inert gas; it does not interact with and is not absorbed by the product. It has a filling and protective function, so it is used to remove oxygen that remains in the package during packaging operations. It is used, for example, for chips or for packaging and degassing after roasting coffee.

Oxygen for meats and salads

It is normally used for packed meat or fish with red meat, such as tuna and swordfish, to ensure that they maintain their best appearance, preventing or delaying the decay of myoglobin. A similar use, although at lower concentrations, occurs with the vegetables and leafy greens, such as bagged salads.

Carbon dioxide for pasta and fish

CO2 retards bacterial or fungal proliferation_: it is soluble in water and fat, so it needs precise dosing as it can change the taste of the product by acidifying it. Mixed with nitrogen, for example, it is used in the preservation of pasta, meat and fish where it has a bacteriostatic function.

Argon for fine wines

A noble and rare gas used in the wine industry tofill the headspace of bottles of the finest wines, while maintaining their organoleptic characteristics.

Learn more about the use of argon in wine production here.

Liquid nitrogen and CO₂ for freezing

CO₂ and nitrogen are also used in food preservation in liquid form. Due to their significant cooling power, they are applied in food freezing: the sudden lowering of temperature actually promotes the preservation of the nutritional properties of the product as well as maintaining longer shelf life.