Thursday, 11 August 2016

Preserving Your Foods with Oxygen Absorbers



What are Oxygen Absorbers?

Oxygen Absorbers are small sachets containing iron powder or ferrous oxide. They find great use across many industries, mainly food and beverages. The oxygen absorbers are manufactured in such a manner that it can absorb oxygen and moisture simultaneously but will not allow the iron powder or ferrous oxide to leak outside. The oxygen absorbers take in all the excess oxygen present in the packages containing food items, thus ensuring that proper oxygen levels are maintained. The presence of excess oxygen in food packages can spoil the food and make it inedible by the time it reaches its final destination. Another benefit of using oxygen absorbers is that it is not harmful for the packed food items as it does not react with the latter. It is for this reason that the oxygen absorbers are made available only in a sealed pouch.  

How do Oxygen Absorbers Function?

Oxygen Absorbers function using a simple chemical reaction. When placed in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, they will absorb all the excess oxygen. The ferrous oxide/iron powder will react with the absorbed oxygen and turn into rust. This process will continue till all the iron powder has been oxidized. When it stops, we can say that the oxygen absorber is fully loaded and will not absorb any more oxygen. The oxygen absorbers can be used more than once as they can be regenerated by the simple process of heating. 

How Oxygen Absorbers Preserve Food Items?

When oxygen absorbers are placed along side packed food items, they work to remove all traces of excess oxygen. After the oxygen is removed, the food items are in a nitrogen-filled atmosphere, which is ideal for the long shelf-life of the packed products. The oxygen absorber sachets are useful in preserving dry foods as well. It keeps them safe from insects and maintains their top-class product quality.

Placing an oxygen absorber sachet along side your packed food products will ensure that they are free from spoilage organisms like fungus, algae and molds. Oxygen absorbers also protect against aerobic pathogens. The use of oxygen absorbers also means that one need not use additives like BHA, BHT, sulfur dioxide, sorbates, and benzoates.

No comments:

Post a Comment