packagings are not just pretty or handy, they can also considerably increase a product&rsquos shelf life. &ldquoit used to be that packaging was mainly intended to bundle and protect a product. now we&rsquore seeing more attention to choosing the right packaging for the right product,&rdquo says marcus gillioen of flexfilm. the foils used most often for fruit and veg products are the flowpack foils.flowpack foilssimply said, there are three categories within the flowpack foils, marcus explains the simplest one is polypropylene foil, also available with antifog. then there is the macro and micro perforated polypropylene foil, and finally the foil for improved shelf life, which has both antifog and breathing capabilities. perforation for ventilationperforated foils are used for products like bell peppers and tomatoes. &ldquothis perforation is intended for ventilation, and to allow moisture to get away.&rdquo depending on the product, a micro or macro perforation is the best solution. &ldquomacro perforation is cheaper than micro, but for some products, macro perforation doesn&rsquot suffice. french beans, for instance, fare better with a micro perforation. micro is a step further than macro. the foil is perforated in a machine with electrically heated needles.&rdquocomatose vegetablesa step further than macro and micro perforated foils is a packaging in which the atmosphere inside the packaging is adjusted through laser technology. these are known as modified atmosphere packaging map. &ldquowe use this technique for our sapfresh foil, which is based on years of research. we basically bring the vegetables in a sort of comatose condition,&rdquo marcus explains. &ldquoall of the product&rsquos natural functions are slowed down, which improves shelf life.&rdquo this technique requires specific knowledge about the ideal conditions for the product.&ldquospectacular results&rdquowhat ratios are ideal for what product, is determined in a laboratory. over the years, the ideal ratio has been found for nearly every product, with a laboratory in france keeping a close eye on developments in the sector. new varieties, for instance, are put under the microscope again, and the results are regularly retested. the effects of the packaging on shelf life and the reduction of the amount of waste in supermarkets are &ldquospectacular&rdquo. marcus illustrates this with data from a large belgian retailer that uses the sapfresh packaging for its belgian endive. &ldquoover a number of years, they conducted research, and compared to the unpackaged belgian endive they sold before, waste went down from 19 percent to 1 percent, which is huge.&rdquomore informationflexfilmmarcus gillioenachterwetering 35nl 2871 rk schoonhoven31 0182 388700marcus@flexfilm.nlwww.flexfilm.nlpublication date 4272015author rudolf mulderijcopyright www.freshplaza.com 
