Packaging Machinery - News, Technology and Reviews

Food packaging is not merely collecting fruits, storing and shipping the product. It involves a series of activities in the most scientific manner to preserve the color, texture and flavor of the item from the farms to the consumer’s plate. In fact, fruit packaging can be classified under three groups – canning fresh fruits, dried fruits and fruit juices.

Technology employed

A wide range of technologies are available that not only preserve the fruits in a fresh and uncontaminated state.  Earlier, fruit packaging referred to rapping the product with paper or plastic before transportation. But today, there are numerous packaging methods to gratify the customers. The most commonly used technology is the post harvest technology that involves packaging of special kinds of fruits such as banana, litchi, mango and pineapple .This technology not only provides careful packaging, but also cools storage that reduces water loss and thus maintains its freshness. The aseptic packaging is another popular process engaged in packing fruit juices. Other methods used for fruit packaging include canning, bottling and freezing.

Advancement in technology

Over the years, fruit packaging has developed manifold extending from the time it is picked from the farms to the moment it is served to the consumer. Today, fruit packaging industry has adapted the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to control the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the packed fruits. This helps in maintaining the correct atmosphere inside the fruit packages and keeps the produce fresh for a longer time. Keeping in view the dietetic importance of the juicy fruits, the consumption of the produce too has gone up significantly.

Materials used

These days, biodegradable and renewable materials are preferred to the traditional oil-based items for fruit packaging. The biodegradable materials do not consume much energy in their production and are not at all harmful for the reason that they are made up of natural polymers such as starch sugar and proteins. Wooden boxes, glass jars, plastic cans, polythene bags, metal cans, baskets, paper or plastic laminated carton and even aluminum trays are a few materials most commonly used for fruit packaging.

Benefits of fruit packaging

The goal behind fruit packaging is to supply fruits fresh or dried in their original color, texture and flavor. At the same time, efforts are made to ensure that the fruits are not contaminated or decayed before they are sold to the consumers. When harvested with biochemical process the fruits are living and fresh. Therefore, to preserve the fruits, it is essential to preserve their enzymes too!