Using MAP technology to enhance the shelf life of milk-based sweets

Pune-based packaging machinery manufacturer Nichrome demonstrated its rotary tray sealing machine at the India International Dairy Expo 2022 held from 13-15 April at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The machine enables the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and is primarily meant for packaging perishable items. The MAP technology enhances the shelf life of a variety of perishable food items including Indian milk-based sweets thus decreasing spoilage and waste for brand owners, retailers and consumers.

“Our rotary tray sealing machine helps brand owners to enhance the shelf life of products such as sweets. Not only does it enhance the shelf life of food products but the packaging also looks very good compared to the conventional sweet packaging. Our machine currently is mostly used for packaging sweets but it can also be used to pack perishable food items items such as kebabs, chopped vegetables and fruit, raw and processed meats, fish, frozen food, namkeens, and ready-to-eat meals such as biryani,” an official from Nichrome told Packaging South Asia.

The Nichrome rotary tray sealing machine can pack 16 trays of 250 grams each per minute or about 4 kilograms of sweets per minute. The packed products have a shelf life of about one month but with preservatives, it can go up to two to three months.

“The longer shelf life means brand owners can expand their geographical reach. A dairy based in Jalgaon can easily export sweets to markets such as the US and the EU. We have seen many tier 1 and tier 2 dairies opt for our machine. Chitale Dairy, based in Pune, is using our rotary tray sealing machine,” the official said.

According to Nichrome, MAP technology is gaining traction in Indian food packaging. MAP is becoming more and more popular for preserving the freshness and extending the storage and shelf life of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and other perishable food products.

The modification process generally lowers the amount of oxygen in the headspace of the package. The oxygen can be replaced with nitrogen, a comparatively inert gas, or carbon dioxide. A stable atmosphere of gases inside the packaging can be achieved using active techniques, such as gas flushing and compensated vacuum, or passively by designing breathable films.

“We see a demand for MAP technology in the food packaging industry to grow stronger going forward – given the focus on hygiene, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic,” the official concluded.

The Covid-19 pandemic led to the country-wide lockdown on 25 March 2020. It will be two years tomorrow as I write this. What have we learned in this time? Maybe the meaning of resilience since small companies like us have had to rely on our resources and the forbearance of our employees as we have struggled to produce our trade platforms.

The print and packaging industries have been fortunate, although the commercial printing industry is still to recover. We have learned more about the digital transformation that affects commercial printing and packaging. Ultimately digital will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future.

Web analytics show that we now have readership in North America and Europe amongst the 90 countries where our five platforms reach. Our traffic which more than doubled in 2020, has at times gone up by another 50% in 2021. And advertising which had fallen to pieces in 2020 and 2021, has started its return since January 2022.

As the economy approaches real growth with unevenness and shortages a given, we are looking forward to the PrintPack India exhibition in Greater Noida. We are again appointed to produce the Show Daily on all five days of the show from 26 to 30 May 2022.

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