Week: 9

Modified atmosphere packaging

(MAP) and vacuum packaging (VP)
to seafood safety
 Definitions and Terminology

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)

“ It is a form of packaging involving the removal of air from the pack and
the replacement with single gas or mixture of gases” (Parry, 1993).

Vacuum Packaging (VP)

VP is also a type of MAP system because air is evacuated from a pack and
not replaced and then the package sealed
 Modified atmosphere packaging components
for seafood

Fish
Gas mixtures
Gas/fish ratios
Packaging materials
 Modified atmosphere packaging components
for seafood

Fish
• biological structure
• chemical composition
• extremely perishable and generally spoil
faster

Gas mixtures
• carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2)
• for white fish and shellfish 40/30/30:CO2/N2/O2
• for fatty and smoked fish 60/40: CO2/N2
 Modified atmosphere packaging components
for seafood

Gas/fish ratios
• gas/products ratio 2:1 to 5:1 for MA packed fish while the CO 2
concentration 20% and 100%
• recommended product ratio 3:1 with a minimum concentration of
20% CO2

Packaging materials
• good visual display, low water vapour transmission, high gas barrier
• mechanical strength to withstand machine handling and
subsequent storage
• polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET),
• polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE)
• tray with an impermeable film
 Gases used in modified atmosphere packaging

Oxygen (O2)
• stimulates the growth of aerobic bacteria and inhibits the growth
of the strictly anaerobic bacteria
• presence of oxygen can cause oxidative rancidity in fatty fish
• low levels might induce browning reactions
• low level oxygen inhibit the growth of pathogenic anaerobic bacteria
such as C. botulinum, Clostridium perfringens
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• not inert and can bring about chemical changes in the microbial
cell and its environment
• highly soluble in both water and lipids
• 25% CO2 is recommended to control bacterial and mould growth
• most effective in reducing the growth of aerobic and
Gram-negative psychrotrophic bacteria
• negative effects of CO2 on the colour of fish, the texture of fish
and drip loss
• high concentrations of CO2 cause excessive drip, metallic and sour
off-odors and off-flavors
 Gases used in modified atmosphere packaging

Nitrogen (N2)
• an inert and tasteless gas with a low solubility in both water and lipid
• delaying oxidative rancidity and inhibiting the growth of aerobic
microorganisms
• filler gas to prevent pack collapse due to its low solubility

Carbon monoxide (CO)

• highly toxic gas and is not approved by the regulatory authorities
• heath hazard for packaging machine operatives as well

The other gases

Potential gases: chlorine, ethylene oxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone
and sulphur dioxide
•unlikely to meet regulatory authorities approval due to safety concerns
Noble gases: xenon, argon and helium
•permitted as food grade gases by EC legislation
 Effect of oxygen on seafood

Oxygen (O2)
Oxidation Development of aerobic
microorganism

Darkening Discoloration Loss of

aroma Unpleasant Bacterial Appearance
flavor degradation of mould

Reduced freshness
Loss of organoleptic
qualities
Reduced nutritional
value
Products becomes
unfit for consumption
with passage of time
Oxygen requirement of some common food microorganisms
Aerobes- require atmospheric oxygen for growth

Spoilage organism Pseudomonas species

Acinetobacter / Moraxella
Micrococcus
Pathogens Bacillus cereus, Yersinia enterolitica
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Microaerophiles- require low levels of oxygen

Spoilage organism Lactobacillus

Pathogens Camplylobacter jejuni
Listeria monocytogens
Facultative organism - grow in presence or absence
of oxygen
Spoilage organism Brocothrix thermosphacta
Shewanella putrifaciens
Bacillus species, Enterobacteriaceae
Pathogens Salmonella, Staphylococcus
Anaerobes- inhibited / killed by oxygen

Pathogens Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium botulinum
(Parry,1993)
 Effects of MAP on some common microorganisms

Pathogenic microorganism Spoilage microorganism

Clostridium botulinum Lactobacillus species

Listeria monocytogenes Pseudomonas
Salmonella Acinetobacter / Moraxella
Staphylococcus aureus
Yersinia enterolitica
Aeromonas hydrophila
Campylobacter jejuni
Escherichia coli
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
 Effects of MAP on Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium botulinum
• the single most important concern for MAP
• potential for the outgrowth and toxin production
• non-proteolytic, psychrotrophic (grow at a low as 3.3oC)
• grow and produce toxin without producing over sign of spoilage
Recommendation for controlling the growth of Clostridium botulinum
(Betts, 1995)
• a heat treatment of 90oC for 10 min or equivalent
• a pH value of 5 or less
• a minimum salt level of 3.5% NaCl in the aqueous phase
• an water activity of 0.97 or less throughout all parts of food
• a combination of heat and preservative factor or components

Potassium sorbate, sodium chloride, nisin and irradiation in combination

with MAP are shown to be effective
 Bacteriological changes

Figure 1 Total viable counts (cfu/ml) in sardine stored in air, in VP and in MAP at 4 oC.
(Ozogul et al, 2004)
 Potential problems of MAP and VP

Pack collapse
Pack collapse occurs
• CO2 permeates through packing films up to 30 times faster than N2
• fat and water-soluble
• solubility increases when temperature decreases
To minimise pack collapse
• reducing CO2 content,
• increasing the product to gas ratio,
• injecting gas with a slight overpressure,
• pre-treating products with CO2 saturated water or bicarbonate
solutions
• pack in air
Increased exudates/drip loss
• Fish loses about 1-3 % drip during normal storage
• Drip levels up to 14 % have been found for prawns
• decrease in water holding capacity of proteins due to a decrease in
pH
 Potential problems of MAP and VP

Discoloration
• the precipitation of sarcoplasmic proteins at low pH
• fading and browning have been attributed to packing in 100 % CO2
TMA production
• TMA is produced only in fish in which contain adequate amounts of
TMAO
• TMA production has been shown to be inhibited by MAP
• released when the consumer opens the pack

Histamine production
• produced by microbial decarboxylation of histidine
• numerous different bacterial species to possess histidine
decarboxylase activity
• Vibrio, Proteus, Morganella morganii, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Hafnia alvei, etc.
• FDA legal limit: 5mg/100g fish (1996)
• EEC limit for histamine:10mg/100g fish (1991)
 TMA production

Figure 4 TMA content of herring stored in ice, Figure 5 TMA content of sardines stored in
in VP and in MAP at 4oC air, in VP and in MAP at 4oC
(Ozogul et al, 2002) (Ozogul et al, 2004)
 Histamine production

Figure 2 Histamine content of herring Figure 3 Histamine content of sardines

stored in ice, in VP and in MAP at 4oC stored in air, in VP and in MAP at 4oC
(Ozogul et al, 2002) (Ozogul et al, 2004)
 ATP and breakdown products

Nucleotide degradation in sardine in MAP Nucleotide degradation in sardine at 4oC

Concentration of ATP and related
compounds (mmoles/g)

Storage time (days) Storage time (days)

(Ozogul et al, 2004)
 Advantages and disadvantages of MAP

Advantages of MAP

• Increased shelf life of products

• High quality products and reduced economic loss
• Products can be distributed longer distances, resulting in a decrease in
distribution cost
• Clear view of products
• Hygienic stackable pack, sealed and free from product drip

Disadvantages of MAP

•Visible added cost, for example; cost of gases and packing materials
•Temperature control required
•Specialized training and equipment are necessary
•Different gas formulation required for each product type
•Potential growth of food-borne pathogens such as C. botulinum
•Benefits of MAP are lost once the pack is opened
Conclusions
Storage of fish under modified atmosphere conditions;
• decrease the production of ATP and its degradation products,
• inhibit bacterial growth,
• reduce the formation biogenic amine (histamine, cadaverine etc.),
• decrease the concentrations of TMA and TVB-N,
• extend sensory rejection,
• prolong self-life and maintained quality

In general, depending on raw materials, temperature, gas mixtures and

packaging materials, the percentage of increase in shelf life in MAP
ranges from 0% to 280% compared with aerobic storage

Addopt from:
Dr. Fatih ÖZOĞUL
Çukurova University, Faculty of Fisheries