Protect food quality by preventing gas leaks from MAP packages

Even the smallest leaks will reduce products’ shelf life and risk costly returns from the retailer, said applications specialist, Markus Mertens. Regular monitoring, using equipment produced by his company, avoids the risks of leakages, he claimed.

“The value and quality of the brand is paramount,”​ said Mertens. “If a leak detector prevents one single rejected delivery, it has paid for itself immediately. We recommend that if anyone does not have leak detector system in operation, they should at least start with simple water immersion test equipment, to give them some assurance. Every quality check, however small, increases the brand value in the market.”​

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Eliminate all risks​

Although most packaging processes are reliable, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all leaks, said the company. Packaging film can develop pores either during transportation or during storage. Also capillaries, which are virtually invisible to the naked eye, can form as a result of deposits on the sealing tool in the packaging equipment.

The type of packaging influences the risk of leakage, added Mertens: “Solid and dry products present few problems; however crumbs, traces of sauce and grease can create leakage problems on the pack seals. A micro leak will allow MAP gases to escape. When using flow wrapped packs, the risk is even higher”.​

To guard against leakage, he recommends a number of tests designed to monitor individual packages, crates or entire production lines.

Designed for individual packages, the Witt Pack-Vac Leak Detector involves the operator placing the package in a chamber filled with water. The lid is closed and the equipment removes the air above the surface of the water, which places the package under pressure. Air bubbles reveal the presence of a leak.

For larger test samples, packages are placed into a chamber and a vacuum is generated to create a pressure difference between the inside of the chamber and the inside of the package. If there is a leak in the package, the protective gas escapes and is detected by carbon dioxide sensors.

Micro-leak detection​

The company’s Leakmaster is a non destructive micro-leak detection system based on this CO2 detection technology. It is also capable of testing complete outer packs.

To test for leaks throughput a packaging line, users can install in-line testing systems such as the Witt Leak-master MAP-Max. This is a fully automatic detection system that is capable of operating at up to 15 cycles per minute and can check the complete throughput from a thermoforming packaging line, claimed the company.