Only a leak-tight package is a good package.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is enjoying great popularity. Food packages with modified atmosphere promise fresh, appealing and high quality goods without using preservatives. When using modified atmosphere packaging technology, quality assurance tools like leak testing are essential.

Small leak – big impact

Leaky modified atmosphere packages can have serious effects on the product: from nutrient loss and loss of flavour, taste, texture or colour to spoilage by pathogenic microorganisms. With health risks, legal consequences may arise. Even worse would be expensive and compromising product recalls. Under certain circumstances, such recalls can endanger a company’s business.

Sooner or later everyone gets caught out without leak testing

Damaged sealing Especially regarding the sealing of modified atmosphere packaging, there are many sources of error that can lead to leaks: wrong temperature or pressure, unsuitable tool design, contaminated or worn tools and sealing contamination – not to mention faulty material, which can cause undiscovered continuous leaks.

Dirt in the sealing

Even with the utmost care in process design, it’s hard to avoid incorrectly packaged products in modified atmosphere packaging.

HACCP – leak testing as critical control point

HACCP quality control The purpose of each HACCP concept is food safety and consumer protection. Critical points at which food safety is at risk must be identified and effectively controlled. To avoid danger, all areas of the production chain are relevant – from raw material purchasing to packing and transport. A leaking MAP package can cause health hazards to consumers. Therefore, the MAP process is a potential danger point and should be viewed as a critical control point in the sense of an HACCP concept. Leak testing / leak detection of food packaging is a suitable method to monitor critical control points and to ensure food safety.