What You Need to Know About the Science of Fresh Green Vegetables

 The availability of fresh leafy greens at all times of the year is truly amazing, even if it might not appear that extraordinary now.

 

If you reside anyplace east of these two states, the leafy greens on your plate have likely traveled a long distance to get there, as more than 90% of the lettuce grown in the United States is produced in California and Arizona.

 

So how come they appear to have just been plucked from a neighboring garden this morning? The quick answer is collaboration and the appropriate technology, also known as EMAP, or equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging.

What is EMAP?

Technology known as equilibrium modified environment packaging slows respiration and increases the shelf life of fresh goods. Fresh fruits and vegetables continue to "breathe" or respire after they have been picked, unlike the majority of food items. Produce uses oxygen in this process, which also results in the production of carbon dioxide and water vapor.

 

The main goal of EMAP is to preserve packaged goods' freshness for as long as possible without compromising their quality in terms of flavor, texture, or appearance.

 

The packaging environment should generally have less oxygen, typically less than 5%, and more carbon dioxide, often about 5-15%, with nitrogen making up the remainder of the atmosphere.

Why Is It Necessary?

It's more complicated than it seems. The procedure exchanges "air" that is made up of 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen in order to meet and maintain control of the gas mixture in the package. Anaerobic respiration happens when there is not enough oxygen present in the packing atmosphere. This process results in the degradation of the substance and produces unpleasant tastes and odors. However, excessive carbon dioxide can harm some items. Nitrogen has no impact on the food product by itself.

 

When the correct packaging material is utilized and leaks are securely sealed, EMAP performs at its best. Particularly for leafy greens, permeability and breathability are crucial packaging characteristics. Therefore, when you order fresh vegetables online you must check the quality.

 

If the items are packaged airtight, oxygen would quickly be exhausted and unfavorable anaerobic conditions may arise. The changed environment will escape if the material is too porous, and no advantage will result.

 

By checking, regulating, and keeping an eye on the environment inside the package, the goal is to come as close as possible to the targeted range. Proper EMAP can increase shelf life by up to 100%.

What are the Other Factors You Need to Look for While Ordering Fresh Cut Vegetables?

Leafy greens and other fresh product packagers might be interested in Oxybeam, a brand-new non-destructive gas analyzer that employs laser technology to figure out how much oxygen is still present in packed food. Leak-Master Pro 2 is also regarded by the business as being a crucial part of quality control. The CO2 technology underlies the package leak detector.

 

Packaging also plays a role in the technology's viability. Businesses provide films that are acceptable for both items that need gas flushing and ones that don't.

 

Research has been done to better understand the ideal head space for leafy greens and how quickly certain leafy greens respire.

 

Leafy greens require assistance to get the ideal headspace since they breathe more slowly than other produce. This requires a delicate balancing act between the active gas cleansing and optimum package permeability.

 

Natural respiration, for instance, causes the leaves of dark leafy greens like spinach to become yellow, which results in food waste. Too much oxygen can cause the leaves of light-colored lettuces like iceberg and Romaine to become pink.

 

What we do is combine the proper film permeability with a gas flush. And it will enable us to immediately boost the carbon dioxide while decreasing the oxygen to prevent pinking and yellowing.

 

The gas flush is still just the natural respiratory gasses that we use, oxygen and carbon dioxide, but it gets the head space to those optimal levels very quickly."

 

Together, the group assesses every aspect, including line speed, sealing temperature requirements, and product respiration rates. Having the appropriate testing equipment on hand is helpful.

 

Prior to sealing, it also applies the pre-mixed gas required to change the atmosphere within the container.

 

Retailers can benefit from tray sealing technology, especially given the present economic situation. Modified environment packaging is made possible by top seal packaging, which is safe for food and tamper-evident. Last but not least, when you buy chopped vegetables online, you should focus on the packaging and also some crucial pointers.