Modified Atmosphere Packaging : A review

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