Skip to Main Content
  • English 
  • Slovensky 
  • Linde Worldwide
  • The Linde Group
  • About Linde
  • Career
  • Industrial Gases
    Slovakia

  • Home Page
  • Industries
      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Automotive
      • Chemistry General
      • Construction
        • Ground Freezing
      • Glass
        • Glass Forming & Processing
        • Glass Melting
      • Heat Treatment
      • Heavy Machinery
      • Metal Fabrication
        • Coating
        • Cooling for Metal Fabrication
        • Cutting
        • Heating for Metal Fabrication
        • Welding
      • Petrochemical
        • Gas/Liquid Reactions
        • Hydrogen Applications for Chemical Production
        • Heterogeneous Oxidations
        • Speciality Gases
      • Pharmaceutical Solutions
      • Plastics
      • Pulp & Paper
      • Refineries
      • Steel
        • REBOX - Oxyfuel Solutions for Reheating
        • Mini Mills
  • Processes
      • Beverage
      • Dairy
        • Freezing & Cooling - Dairy
        • MAPAX - Dairy
      • Dry Foods & Bakery
        • Freezing & Cooling - Dry Foods & Bakery
        • Fumigation
        • MAPAX - Dry Foods & Bakery
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Fruits & Vegetables
        • Blanketing, Purging and Sparging
        • Freezing & Cooling - Fruits and Vegetables
        • Enhancing Greenhouse Growth
        • MAPAX - Fruits & Vegetables
      • Meat
        • Controlled Atmosphere Stunning (CAS)
        • Yellow goods, Mining equipment
        • Freezing & Cooling - Meat
        • MAPAX - Meat
      • MRI
        • MRI Cryogens & CRYOFILL® Service
      • Offshore
      • Oils & Fats
      • Prepared & Catered Foods
        • Freezing & Cooling - Prepared & Catered foods
        • MAPAX - Prepared & Catered Foods
        • Transport Controlled Temperature
      • Printing
        • Cleaning in the Printing Industry
      • Rail
      • Refrigeration & Air Conditioning
      • Renewable Energy
      • Rubber
        • Tyre Curing
      • Semiconductor
      • Ship Building
      • TFT/LCD - Flat Panel
  • Products & Supply
      • Product catalogue
      • Industrial gases
      • Specialty gases
        • Pure gases
      • Medicinal gases
        • LIV®
      • Oxygen concentrators
      • Dry ice
      • Lifestyle products
        • Balloonkit - entertainment for each celebration
      • Pneumix
      • Accessories
      • Typy lahví
        • Genie
        • EVOS Valves
        • Linde 300 bar bundles
      • Refrigerants
        • CFCs
        • HCFCs
        • HFCs
        • HFOs
        • Natural Refrigerants
        • Reclaim, Recovery & Waste Management
        • Leak Detection Gases
      • Region Nitra
        • Region Nitra
  • Services
      • Process Know-How
      • Quality & Safety
      • Supply Reliability
      • Zákaznícky program Linde plus
      • Linde DIREKT
      • Elektronická fakturácia
  • Health & Safety new
      • Quality policy
      • Safety data sheets
      • Safety regulations
      • Code on compliant handling
      • ADR – Accidental release measures
      • Colour coding of cylinders
      • Prevencia závažnej havárie
        • Prevencia závažnej havárie
  • News & Media
      • News
      • News
        • News
  • Contact
  • Find a store
  •  
  • Language
    • English
    • Slovensky
  • Linde Worldwide
  • The Linde Group
  • About Linde
  • Career
  • Processes
  • Beverage
  • Dairy
  • Dry Foods & Bakery
  • Fish & Seafood
  • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Blanketing, Purging and Sparging
    • Freezing & Cooling - Fruits and Vegetables
    • Enhancing Greenhouse Growth
    • MAPAX - Fruits & Vegetables
  • Meat
  • MRI
  • Offshore
  • Oils & Fats
  • Prepared & Catered Foods
  • Printing
  • Rail
  • Refrigeration & Air Conditioning
  • Renewable Energy
  • Rubber
  • Semiconductor
  • Ship Building
  • TFT/LCD - Flat Panel
  • Processes
  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • MAPAX - Fruits & Vegetables

MAPAX - Fruits & Vegetables The success of Modified Atmosphere Packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables hinges on packaging material offering the correct permeability

If produce is sealed in a film which is not sufficiently permeable, undesirable anaerobic conditions (<1% oxygen and >20% carbon dioxide) will develop. This will result in deterioration of the quality. Conversely, if produce is sealed in a film with excessive permeability, the modified atmosphere will not be retained and moisture loss will also lead to accelerated deterioration in quality. Examples of materials that are suitable for Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) of fresh fruit and vegetables are microporous film or LDPE/OPP.

The key to successful MAP of fresh produce lies in packaging film of correct intermediary permeability. This establishes an optimum equilibrium modified atmosphere (EMA) as the rate of oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) transmission through the film equals the produce respiration rate.

Typically, optimal EMAs of 3–10% oxygen and 3–10% carbon dioxide, can dramatically increase the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. The EMA is influenced by numerous factors such as respiration rate, temperature, packaging film, pack volume, fill weight and light.

The respiration rate is affected by the variety, size, maturity and preparation of the produce. Consequently, working out the optimal EMA for a particular item is a complex equation that can only be solved through experimental testing.

To establish a beneficial modified atmosphere, fresh produce can be sealed in air or flushed with gas (3 –10% O2 / 3 –10% CO2 / 80 –90% N2).

As previously explained, modified atmospheres evolve within an air sealed pack due to produce respiration. However, in certain cases it may be desirable to gas-flush to accelerate establishment of a beneficial EMA. For example, enzymic browning of salad vegetables can be delayed by gas flushing instead of air packing.

Experimental tests should be undertaken to establish the optimum solution. Different conditions may apply, for example, to peeled potatoes and apples (which should not be packed with oxygen to avoid enzymic reactions that result in brown discolouration). Pre-peeled potatoes, for example, can be packed in 20% CO2 + 80% N2. As a result, this extends the shelf life from 0.5 hours to 7–8 days at +4 to +5°C (+39.2 to + 41 ºF).

For more information, see links below
MAPAX Brochure(PDF 4.0 MB)
Food Team Contact
  • Ask the Food Team
    Email us
    • Terms of Use
    • Legal Notice
    • Data protection
    • Cookie Policy
  • © The Linde Group 2019

To enhance your user experience and to deliver our online services, this website uses cookies for reasons of functionality, comfort and statistics. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
You can find out more on our data protection information.
You must check the "I accept cookies from Linde Sites" box to accept.
More