6 Most Effective Methods To Extend The Shelf Life of Fresh Food Products
by Sophia William Blogger And Social Media Marketing ExpertEverybody wants
to have fresh food but no one wants to go to the grocery store every day.
Today's fast-moving lifestyle has an important role to play in this scenario.
People are extremely busy with their 9 to 6 jobs and get some downtime mostly
during the weekend. This has led to a rise in the need for packaging that keeps
foods like fresh veggies, meat and fruits fresh for a longer time.
Whether you're
selling fresh food products or looking to store these at home, you must find a
way to increase their shelf life and keep them fresh for longer. Thankfully,
there are more than a couple of ways to do that.
Early research
behind this was due to the shortages of food in certain regions and the need to
store fruits, dairy and veggies for longer. The methods included processing,
packaging, managing temperature and more. Here we discuss the most effective
ways to provide fresh food to your customers with longer shelf life.
● Ethylene Absorption Packaging
Ethylene is a
colourless, odourless gas produced by plants. The gas regulates the ripening
and ageing process. Fruits and vegetables ripe faster with more exposure to
ethylene. After harvesting, the plant cells start getting damaged which
increases ethylene production.
As ethylene
production increases, the plant starts ripening faster resulting in shrinkage
leading to an unsellable product with poor shelf life. Ethylene further
increases the respiration rate and after harvest, this shortens the shelf life
of plants. But the issue has largely been solved by ethylene absorber sachets which contain an additive that
removes ethylene from your fresh produce.
These sachets
are made of breathable plastic material that enables the exchange of gases
smoothly too. As a result, the plant remains safe from anaerobic bacteria. The ethylene absorber sachets also ensure
the fruits remain fresh in flavour and appearance too.
● Oxygen Absorbers Packaging
Oxygen absorbers are widely used to protect a variety of foods and
increase their shelf life. These absorber packets can help preserve bread,
fish, seafood, fruits, vegetables as well as all kinds of meat products. This
kind of packaging, though, requires an external sachet to be placed inside the
packaging.
Oxygen absorbers are quite an efficient ingredient that you can add to the
packaging of food items. Several forms of these have been commercialised so
far. The permeable sachet typically contains an iron powder which is known to
trap oxygen from the food. Each sachet can only trap a small amount of oxygen
and the size of packaging determines the increase in shelf life.
● Temperature Regulation
Regulating the
temperature properly can increase the shelf life of the product. The product
needs to be kept fresh by maintaining a certain temperature on each stage of
food processing.
Improper
regulation of temperature at any stage of processing can be detrimental to the
shelf life of your product. It is hence essential to have an experienced food
engineer with you to help you get the desired result.
● Processing Methods
Processing is one
of the most common ways to keep food products like milk and meat products
fresh. Sterilization, fermentation and pasteurization are just some of the food
processing methods prevalent in the food manufacturing industry.
Pasteurization
and similar methods like thermal processing involve mild heating below 100°C to
reduce microbes developing on the product. Blanching is another common process
used to preserve fresh food longer. You have to pre-treat the food with boiling
water which causes enzyme inactivation. The process is quite common for
vegetables but doesn't apply to fruits.
Sugaring,
pickling, vacuum packing and canning are some of the common traditional methods
of increasing the shelf life of food and it's up to your requirement to choose
the appropriate method.
● Product Irradiation
The process of
food irradiation involves exposing fresh food along with packaging to ionizing
radiation. The process helps kill bacteria which can potentially spoil the food
earlier than you'd like.
You don't have
to worry about the food getting spoilt due to radiation as the ionizing
radiation doesn't come directly in contact with the food. The process can help
destroy insect infestation, living bacteria and more. As a result, your food
products will have a better shelf life and will appeal more to the consumers.
It's an excellent way to protect canned fruits and vegetables.
● Monitoring Humidity throughout Cold
Chain
Along with
temperature tracking, monitoring humidity is equally important to increase your
product's shelf life. You need to ensure high humidity to ensure your fruits
and vegetables don't lose water. That will help reduce shrinkage which can
happen during refrigeration. IoT devices can help manage temperature and
humidity effectively.
These were some
of the most popular and effective methods to lengthen your fresh food's shelf
life. That can help you minimize wastage and appeal to a wider customer base that
needs to keep products in the fridge for long.
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Created on Oct 30th 2020 09:18. Viewed 252 times.