Modified Atmosphere Packaging : A review

Food packaging has developed strongly during recent years, mainly due to increaseddemands on product safety, shelf-life extension, cost-efficiency, environmental issues,and consumer convenience. In order to improve the performance of packaging inmeeting these varied demands, innovative modified- and controlled-atmospherepackaging, and active and intelligent packaging systems are being developed, testedand optimised in laboratories around the world. Modified atmosphere packaging(MAP) is a packaging system that involves changing the gaseous atmospheresurrounding a food product inside a pack, and employing packaging materials andformats with an appropriate level of gas barrier to maintain the changed atmosphereat an acceptable level for preservation of the food. Modified atmospherepackaging (MAP) is the practice of modifying the composition of the internalatmosphere of a package (commonly food packages, drugs, etc.) in order to improvethe shelf life .Atmosphere within the package can be modified passively or actively.MAP achieves the objectives based on three principles: it reduces undesirablephysiological, chemical biochemical, and physical changes in foods; it controlsmicrobial growth; and just like any other packaging technique, it prevents productcontamination.