Fresh food favors "active packaging"

Is the food package just for convenience? The latest answer is `not`. More active 'positive packaging' technology can more effectively protect the quality of food, or directly show whether the food is fresh, so that consumers do not have to wait until the package is opened before discovering if the food has deteriorated.

For example, in order to delay the deterioration of food due to oxidation, it is now common practice to put a small packet of iron powder inside the package and use the iron oxidation process to consume the oxygen inside the package. However, some customers find it uncomfortable to see small packets printed with food in the food. The new packaging adds a layer of oxygen-absorbing material to the packaging paper, which makes them feel more comfortable.

For another example, some fresh-keeping foods need to be kept at a low temperature, otherwise the bacteria inside will become active and cause food spoilage. A new type of label that can indicate time and temperature is attached to the package. The chemical composition of the label will polymerize when the temperature rises. The color of the label will have a change of brightness and darkness. Customers can know at what temperature the food is stored and stored. How long has the freshness been?

According to the British "New Scientist" website, this type of technology, called "positive packaging," has been put into use in the United States, France and other places. Many companies realize that allowing customers to understand the food they provide to them is very fresh, that their potential business benefits are enormous, and that the extra cost of developing new technologies is nothing more than a “little eye”.

At present, some companies in the United States are developing fresh food packaging for frozen foods. The new packaging can monitor the release of gases from meat, fish, or vegetables that have been improperly rotated and deteriorated due to freezing. Concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide required for the preservation of different fruits and vegetables are different. Packaging technology for this characteristic is also under development. A California company is developing a packaging film that can change its permeability with temperature to meet the different oxygen and carbon dioxide needs of different fruits and vegetables. In New Zealand, researchers are developing a fruit packaging that can indicate when ripe fruits like peaches are ripe for squeezing.