Asian Launch For Shelf-Life Extension Packaging

A range of modified atmosphere packaging proven to prolong the shelf life of fresh produce, prepared salads and herbs was launched in Singapore last week, at the ASEANPLAS International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber.

Manufactured by Convex Plastics, the selectively permeable modified atmosphere packaging, known as re~fresh, is deemed to be especially ideal for long-haul transport, exporters and the hospitality trade.

re~fresh product manager, Stephen Dench, says re~fresh is designed to passively reduce the respiration of specific fresh fruit and vegetables by manipulating the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide contained within the packaging. This in turn reduces enzymic browning, delays ripening, retards textural softening, decreases ethylene production, preserves vitamins and extends the overall freshness of the packaged produce.

According to Dench, re~fresh packaging has already been successfully developed to enhance the shelf life of a wide variety of living produce, ranging from peeled garlic and coleslaw, to gala apples, broccoli and hydrangeas.

He says, "We endeavour in every instance to develop a package that perfectly matches the respiration and ethylene sensitivity of the produce being packed as well as the outside storage temperature and humidity. By using interactive computer modelling we are now able to design customised film structures which provide life extension for almost all living produce."

In the case of hydrangeas, the New Zealand-based flower distribution company Ellbee Ltd claims re~fresh packaging also does away with the laborious task of putting vials or floss on the end of each stem. Ellbee Ltd directors, Derek Lankshear and Jane Bryant, who are both commercial hydrangea growers, say they have successfully used re~fresh hydrangea liners to pack product to Asia and the USA and the amount of time and money they have saved has been `considerable'.

According to Dench, the real challenge now facing packaging technologists is for them to take these selectively permeable re~fresh membranes and apply them to other applications such as lidding stocks and form fill and seal films without deteriorating the permeable nature of the web.