Atmospheric and speciality gas technology manufac- turer Air Products South Africa says there has been an increase in the use of modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) – its gas-based food packaging technique.

Air Products speciality gas sales manager Arthi Govender says this is because the South African food manufacturing and retail industries are becoming more aware of the health and safety benefits of using gas in food manufacturing and packaging.

The benefits include longer-lasting food, a decrease in the use of preservatives and more nat-ural food, as opposed to technologically modified food.

Air Products manufactures the gas used in the MAP technique in South Africa. The company says prior to the increased market awareness, the technique was mainly used by meat manufacturers and retailers.

MAP uses three main gases to enhance the shelf life of a pro-duct – oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The gases are used in various controlled combinations – which are specified with due consideration for the food product in question – whereby the levels of the gases in the atmosphere surrounding the food product are altered to enhance the appearance and freshness of the product.

“The demand for MAP is increasing as more manufacturers are moving away from adding traditional preservatives to their food products to rather using MAP to increase the shelf life of their products,” explains Govender.

She adds that consumers also gain from using the food products that were stored in a MAP-fuelled environment.

“The benefits of MAP extend from producer and manufacturer to the retailer and, ultimately, the consumer. By extending the shelf life of a food product, MAP tran-slates into convenience and a more appealing, fresher product.

“In addition, it saves retailers money, as it results in less spoilage, lower inventory and better distribution efficiencies,” details Govender.

She adds that the technique is environment-friendly, as it does not use chemicals, instead “the composition of the atmosphere, or the air surrounding the food, is modified according to the type of food”.

Further, there is no artificial enhancement of the food product and the food remains entirely natural, as “the technique does not make a product that might be bad for consumption good. MAP is not used for food products of which the expiry date has passed”, she notes.

Air Products South Africa manufactures, supplies and distributes atmospheric gases, speciality gases, performance materials, equipment and services to the Southern African region.
“The company produces products that impact the lives of our consumers in positive ways every day. We serve customers across a range of industries – from food and beverage, mining and petrochemicals, primary metal and steel manufacturers, chemical applications, welding and cutting applications to laboratory applications,” says Govender.