The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
We propose to deliver a Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) Workshop detailing pertinent historical background and mathematical equations through the use of a fully executable Excel-based program where several user-input variables and package designs and their potential pitfalls will be highlighted, illustrated and discussed.

Consumption of packaged and minimally processed products has significantly increased. Temperature abuse remains the number one problem regarding postharvest losses. However, optimizing and using properly designed modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) generally counteracts some handling abuse. Although just another tool in the shipping and marketing equation, MAP should be viewed carefully with regard to adequate modeling and safeguards in design to avoid common design pitfalls. Recent mathematical modeling incorporating substantial user-inputs including respiration rate, film thickness, microperforation size, published film permeability coefficients etc. has delivered robust, incredible models. Unfortunately, the best suited or optimized “programs” are either proprietary or “in-house” and they are not readily accessible to the public. Nonetheless, real world applications continue to fail due to improper “inputs” on parameters such as actual respiration rate, true film thickness and imperfections in perforation/resin dynamics which, vary markedly from supplier to supplier and batch to batch of resin or film. This reality can occur even under ideal temperature management but, is obviously exacerbated by improper temperature logistics often encountered through the vertical supply chain. Currently, there are some programs or companies who offer clients package design help/implementation, for a fee. We propose to deliver a Workshop detailing pertinent historical background and mathematical equations through the use of a fully executable Excel-based program where several user-input variables and package designs and their potential pitfalls will be highlighted, illustrated and discussed.