SOLUBLE GAS STABILISATION AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING OF SEAFOOD

MAP of wet foods (such as fresh fish and meats) are hampered by the large volume of gas to product volume necessary in order to ensure CO2 availability and thereby inhibition of bacterial growth. The ratio between the gas and product volume is often as hi gh as 2 or 3, implicating a package size 3-4 times the size of product. The consequence is increased distribution costs, space necessary in retail display cabinets, and amount of plastic packaging materials and waste. We seek to develop alternative metho ds to MAP as industrial applications providing smaller package sizes without losing the benefits of MAP. Such alternative methods will give benefits both to the industry, the retailer, the consumer and the environment. Alternative methods to be further developed within the project are; soluble gas stabilisation (dissolvement of CO2 into the product prior to packaging) and dry ice/CO2 emitters/carbonic acid dips (as CO2 resources). Measuring methods to determine; CO2 diffusion and solubility into foods p ackaged in semi-rigid materials, and effusion of CO2 out of foods, will be developed and used to optimise the alternative technologies. Project includes one PhD-study.