Paper Pak Industries, the leading manufacturer of active packaging technology for the food industry, has expanded its revolutionary line of UltraZap®OdorVac active absorbents that simultaneously capture any confinement odors and reduce bacterial growth in the purge.
Paper Pak Industries Chief Executive Officer and President Ron Jensen noted, "In response to the growing demand for the UltraZapOdorVac absorbent technology, we are introducing several additional pad colors – including rose and white – which enable fresh protein processors to choose the absorbent color that is ideally suited for their particular protein and packaging design. As the vacuum packaging segment grows, UltraZapOdorVac in custom colors will allow processors and retailer grocers to better protect their brand equity while improving consumer satisfaction.”
Vacuum packaged fresh proteins often suffer from confinement odors, as the barrier film used to prevent oxygen transmission also prevents the trace amounts of odor causing molecules to escape. Consumers, after opening a vacuum packaged protein, typically associate confinement odors with spoilage bacteria and then discard or return the fresh protein for full credit.
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UltraZapOdorVac features a proprietary mix of active ingredients and anti-microbials designed specifically for vacuum packages of fresh protein. The active ingredients capture any odor molecules being formed while the anti-microbials slow down bacterial growth, thus reducing amino acid breakdown and the formation of odor molecules.
Confinement odors are generated from the breakdown of amino acids present in proteins, either by microbiological or by enzymatic action. The purge is rich in proteins so it
can become a good source for the generation of volatile organic sulfur or nitrogen compounds (VOSCs or VONCs).
Sayandro Versteylen, Paper Pak Industries Vice President of Product Technology observed, “The purge is effectively trapped by the UltraZapOdorVac active absorbent, providing the opportunity for PPI’s proprietary mix of active ingredients to capture these odor-causing compounds while they are dissolved in the liquid. It is important to note that the active ingredients in UltraZapOdorVac are GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe), comply with USDA regulations, and require no additional labeling modifications.”
Protein processors are realizing several benefits by using the innovative UltraZapOdorVac food safety absorbent, including: reducing consumer returns and related shrink costs; reducing surface bacteria and offensive odors; protein that has less purge and stays fresher longer; protein that is fresher at the sell-by date; providing incremental food safety intervention in the cold chain cycle; and protecting processor and retailer’s brand equity.