Development of active packaging for retort food: Application of oxygen scavenger

The technology to extend shelf life in processed food has progressed due to innovations in sterilization and barrier packaging. However, the passive packaging systems cannot completely solve the problems of oxidation, odor and discoloration due to oxygen dissolved in food, or contained in the headspace in the package. Oxygen scavenger packaging can effectively solve this problem. The packaging system interacts with inside of package, and removes headspace oxygen. In this research, three oxygen scavengers with different content of iron (%) were applied in multilayer trays with processed meat ball products, and evaluated products shelf life compared to passive barrier packaging. The oxygen concentration in the headspace, oxidation of the product, color, and flavor were evaluated periodically for samples that were stored at 23°C, 50% RH and at 30°C, 80% RH for 9 months. The results showed that all three active packages were superior to conventional passive packaging by removing headspace oxygen in the packages.