Packaging has been used for thousands of years, originally using natural materials like skins and leaves. Four thousand years ago, sealed pottery jars were introduced to protect against rodents. One hundred years ago, packaging was rarely used in food industries but now is a significant part of food production, with continuous development of new packaging materials and equipment. Modified atmosphere packaging is a common technique that uses specialized machinery to flush out air and replace it with different gases or gas mixtures to provide longer shelf life and maintain food safety and quality by modifying the normal air composition. The major gases used are nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in various combinations depending on the food and storage temperature.

2.  Packaging has been with humans for thousands of years in one
form or the other. Packaging dates back to when people first
started moving from place to place.
 Originally, skins, leaves, and bark were used for food transport.
Four thousand years ago, sealed pottery jars were used to protect
against rodents, and glass making was an important industry in
Egypt.
 Tin-plating iron became possible in AD1200, and as steel replaced
iron this method became useful

3.  One hundred years ago there was little use for
packaging in the food industries.
 Now, tremendous progress has been made in the
development of diversified packaging materials and in
the packaging equipment.
 Over the last three decades, packaging has grown in
volume and importance into one of the most significant
areas of food production.

5. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is a long established and
continuously increasing technique for extending the shelf-life of
fresh food products.
MAP requires specialized machinery to flush out air from the
packaging and replace it with a different gas or gas mixture.
The MAP packaging aims to provide longer shelf-life, maintain
sensory attributes like color or appearance and achieve the food
safety of the product.
The normal composition of air is 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and less
than 0.1% carbon dioxide. Modification of the atmosphere within the
package by reducing the oxygen content while increasing the levels
of carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen has been shown to significantly
extend the shelf-life of perishable foods at chill temperatures.
MODIFIED Atmospheric PACKAGING

6. • The major gases used in MAP are N2, O2 and CO2.
• The various combination of gas depends on the
food product being packed at that storage
temperature.
• Noble gases such as argon are used commercially for
food products like coffee and other snacks, however
its uses are limited.
• CO and SO2 are most commonly used gases in
MAP on experimental level.

7. Gases used in MAP
 Carbon dioxide (CO2) inhibits the increase of most aerobic bacteria. It is
the most important gas in the packaging of food under modified
atmospheres. In general one can say the higher the CO2 concentration the
longer the durability of the perishable food.
 Nitrogen (N2) is an inert gas that is used to expel air especially Oxygen
out of the packaging. It is also used as a filling gas that equalizes the
effect of CO2 absorption by the perishable food.
 Oxygen (O2) is generally useful for the growth of microorganisms and it
should be excluded from MAP gases but in some cases a level of it can
bring positive results in food preservation.
It keeps the natural color of the perishable food (effect of
freshness). It makes possible respiration, especially for fruits
or vegetables.

8. CONCLUSION
• MAP is likely to be one of the important technology for
packaging of fresh produce.
• Advantages of MAP includes extending the shelf life, maintaining
the quality of fresh produce and suitable for use and marketing.
• Challenges in MAP involves cost of the packaging material,
storage temperature and specific gas composition for specific
product.
• Every technology has its own pros and cons and hence balance
has to be achieved in such a way that can assure safety and
quality.
• The application of various additives and other preservation
techniques in collaboration with MAP is an area of research
interest.