FOOD & BEVERAGE MAP
Coffee / Fish / Meat/ MAP
The ECHO Instruments FOOD O2 was designed for measuring oxygen concentration in MAP packaging. The advantage is that there is no pump, and the measurement is done in-situ. With usage of special silicon patches, user will prevent the surrounding air to penetrate the area of measurement. The customer at MAP companies can now use long-term measurements to test the efficiency of the packaging lines as well as the sealing during the entire packaging process.
With the sensor at the optical fibre tip, it is also possible to make detail inspection of the packaging area and optimize the purging procedure. The measuring range is made for low and rich oxygen atmosphere packaging with only one sensor.
Coffee
Manufacturers of coffee and coffee like products must ensure that their product remains fresh as long period as possible. As soon as coffee beans have been roasted, the volatile oils responsible for coffee’s alluring aromas and flavours are vulnerable to oxidation by oxygen in the air. To prevent oxidation the coffee is flushed with nitrogen and packed in suitable containers. Using the Food O2 from ECHO Instruments is it possible to make a simple and fast analysis of oxygen concentration in various coffee packaging. Customers all over the world use ECHO instruments to measure not only in head space, but also in the middle of the packaging between grains or grounded coffee. This is possible due to the optical sensor installed in Food O2. Different needles are available, small or large, for measuring in different coffee containers.
Fish
Extending the shelf life of fresh fish and seafood, such as shrimp and prawn, is a challenge due of the unique nature of the product and because there are many types of fish that have different characteristics, and therefore different requirements for packaging. One of the big challenges in choosing a suitable modified atmosphere to prevent the proliferation of bacteria is that some microbes are aerobic – they thrive in oxygen, whereas the others are anaerobic, where the absence of oxygen encourages their growth.
MAP – Modified Atmosphere Packaging products
Processed foods need a lot of protection, from the processing plant to the grocery store, and to your kitchen. Plus, you may need to store them for a while before you use them. Dry foods are usually packaged in bags and boxes. The key to long-term preservation is removing oxygen from the containers because the oxygen exposure causes the food to deteriorate.
The fats will go rancid, discoloration of the food occurs, and the product spoils and goes to waste. There are two ways to prevent food spoilage, either with vacuum packaging or nitrogen flushing.
Chip and snack bags are designed in a way to protect the delicate foods inside from both oxygen exposure and physical damage. The nitrogen replaces the oxygen and cushions the contents. Unlike oxygen, nitrogen doesn’t react with foods, so they stay fresher longer.
Modified atmosphere is the practice of modifying the composition of the internal atmosphere of a package (commonly food packages, drugs, etc.) to improve the shelf life.
The modification process often tries to lower the amount of oxygen (O2), moving it from 20.9 % to 0 %, in order to slow down the growth of aerobic organisms and prevent oxidation reactions. The removed oxygen can be replaced with nitrogen (N2), a comparatively inert gas, or carbon dioxide (CO2), which can lower the pH or inhibit the growth of bacteria. In some cases, there are also some special fish products, where the concentration of oxygen in the packaging is more that 30 %.
ECHO Instruments offers a unique instrument for measuring the oxygen in all kinds of products with the instrument Food O2. Food O2 measures oxygen with special designed stainless needle with inbuilt micro-optical fibre oxygen sensor, which enables in-situ measurements in very small places or in big packaging. The measurement is fast, accurate and the results are displayed on LCD display within a few seconds. Food O2 provides high-accuracy measurements and high reproducibility. There is no oxygen consumption during analysis.
The device has IQ and OQ documentation (if needed), the software is compliant to high standards in food and beverage industry with automatic statistical evaluation and report output. The device can be used in laboratory during quality control as well as on the production line.