Contents:
- Medical Video: Bag It! Packaging Bulk Food With Nitrogen
- What is thatnitrogen flushing?
- Nitrogen flushing is the opposite of a vacuum process
- Is the use of nitrogen flushing in snacks safe?
Medical Video: Bag It! Packaging Bulk Food With Nitrogen
Have you ever bought a snack like potato chips with a bubble wrap, but when it was opened it turned out that half of it only contained air? This snack packaging process is called nitrogen flushing,that is when nitrogen is put into food packaging. But whatnitrogen flushing does this affect food and our health? Consider the following review.
What is thatnitrogen flushing?
Oxygen will trigger mold, yeast, and aerobic bacteria to develop and damage food. So, food will quickly rancid or change color if too long exposure to oxygen, as well as foods that are left open.
One way to make food last long is by removing oxygen from the container, and replacing it with nitrogen. This process is called nitrogen flushing.
The replacement of oxygen with nitrogen aims to avoid oxidation which causes the food to break down quickly and stale.
Nitrogen flushing is the opposite of a vacuum process
In foods such as fresh meat, sausages, or jerky packed in plastic seals, air is not needed in the packaging. The food is put into a container, then the air inside is removed so that it is vacuum. This process is called vacuum packaging. You can observe the packaging on a tight and tight sausage wrap that indicates there is no air in it.
However, not all foods are packed with vacuum packaging. Foods that are vulnerable to being destroyed or damaged, such as chips, need protection as long as food is distributed. Likewise with packaged coffee beans whose uneven surface will look bad if packaged with vacuum packaging. The packaging will form lumps if there is no air in it.
For this type of food is needed nitrogen flushing. You can observe the bubble wrap, and when it is opened there will be air (nitrogen) in it.
How to apply nitrogen flussing in packaged foods is to use a machine that puts nitrogen in the container so that oxygen is completely replaced by nitrogen. Then, the container is sealed quickly and tightly.
Is the use of nitrogen flushing in snacks safe?
Reported from Very Well, nitrogen flushing really safe for food. Because, nitrogen contains 70% of the air you breathe. Nitrogen in packaged food containers does not react with food, so the food is kept fresh and can last longer.
However, when you open the wrapper snack, the nitrogen in the container will mix with the surrounding air. This can cause food resistance to decrease.
On some packaged food packs available models zip lock which makes it easy for you to secure leftovers. But on packaging that is not new zip lock, make sure to close the pack of food you have opened with a rope, rubber or clip. Then, store it in the refrigerator. It would be safer to move it into a tightly closed container, such as a jar.
Food packaging that has been opened should not be stored too long because the content of food that has been mixed with the surrounding air has changed, so that the food becomes stale faster.
