Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a technique that alters the air composition inside packaging to extend the shelf life of products, preserving their quality during storage. MAP has proven to be beneficial and significant for various products, both in laboratory and industrial settings. This article presents an overview of MAP packaging types and their evolution, including active, passive, and porous MAP, as well as the use of diverse gas combinations. Active MAP changes the atmosphere content during packaging while passive MAP alters the packaging atmosphere's composition through breathing or gas exchange with the environment. Porous MAP is a hybrid approach that allows gas exchange between the product and the environment. Furthermore, this article discusses the impact of different gas mixtures on product quality and safety, emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate packaging materials for each application, and offers valuable insights into MAP packaging options, enabling informed decisions to optimize quality and ensure product longevity.

Increasing production and consumption of Poultry meat in Iran, as well as its growing trend in the world, raises concerns about maintaining its quality. Using methods to reduce waste and maintain the quality of this product is very important. Temperature, moisture, light and active water are among the most important factors that adversely change the quality of poultry meat and it is possible to control all of these factors with Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and Vacuum packaging (VP). It is also possible to use other techniques such as active packaging, intelligent packaging and antimicrobial packaging in combination with Modified atmosphere packaging. By eliminating the worries of quality reduction, it multiplied the shelf life and eliminated the need for freezing because freezing reduces the quality of the product and consumes a lot of energy.

Background: With respect to the importance of meat preservation and various reports on different types of packaging and to compare the effects of Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and Vacuum packaging (VP) on shelf-life of fresh bull meat, the present study was conducted in National Research Institute of Food Science (NRIFS) in 1997. Materials and methods: It was an experimental study. 96 samples were randomly packed in two groups of MAP and VP, then transported in chilled condition to NRIFS. Chemical and microbial tests were carried out. These included PH, TVN, TBA, total coliform, lactic acid bacteria, and pseudomonas count and looking for clostridiums. Sensory evaluation consisted of color, odor and weep tests. Results: Results have revealed that total microbial count was in standard range within the first 6 weeks for VP and the first 5 weeks for MAP technique. Other microbial factors including coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, pseudomonas were similar to total count, however, clostridiums were not seen. Deterioration was defined as the presence of 24 milligrams of volatile nitrogen in 100 gram of sample and was occurred at 6th week for VP and 5th week for MAP technique. TBA and PH were always in normal limits. There was no significant difference in TBA except in the second week (p<0.05). Sensory evaluation showed that VP offered better condition in odor and color, however, it had a bit more weep.Conclusion: The results showed that according to our existing facilities, VP is recommended for meat packaging.

Walnuts with essential and unsaturated fatty acids from omega-3 group, are considered as one of the most important dried fruits with nutritional value. Genotypes 25 and 29 (superior walnut genotypes) were selected to investigate the effect of Modified atmosphere packaging on the beneficial compounds of their kernels oil. Walnut kernels were packaged under Modified atmospheric conditions into a 90-μ m metalized plastic. After the oil cold extraction and purification of walnut kernels, the quantitative and qualitative composition of fatty acids was measured. The percent of fatty acids, aflatoxin content, peroxide index, iodine value, acidity and sensory evaluation of samples were determined in the 0-day and during one year storage. The results showed that the unsaturated fatty acids content are predominant in walnut kernels oil, and the linoleic acid is the dominating fatty acid. The saturated fatty acids content was less than 10%. The aflatoxin content of genotypes 25 and 29 were measured 0 and 5 ppb, respectively. The moisture content and the peroxide value were determined 1. 55-4. 32% and 0. 48-4. 65 meqO2/kg, respectively. The highest level of acidity was observed in the 25 genotypes. The peroxide index, titratable acidity, and weight loss increased with the increasing of storage time, while the iodine value decreased. Totally, the packaged genotype 25 in the PA/PE/PA/PE/Aluminum foil films under Modified atmospheric containing 5-6% O2, 15% CO2 and 79-80% N2 is recommended due to the high quality of chemical and organoleptic properties and the lack of aflatoxin in the walnuts kernel.

Microbial spoilage and staling are the most important reasons for the amount of bread waste. In order to extend the bread shelf life, either different bread improvers such as hydrocolloids or appropriate specific packaging like Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can apply. In this study, the effects of hydrocolloid on quality properties of Sangak bread were investigated. The gum Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) was added to the formulation at 0.5 and 1% (w/w of flour) concentration. As a control, no gum added formulations were used. Wheat bread samples were packaged in polyamid/ polyethylene bags with different gas combinations. Two gas concentrations tested included: air, and 100% CO2. All packaged bread samples were stored at 25°C for 15 days. Quality and microbial features of bread such as moisture, texture, and mold and yeast count were assessed at intervals of three days during storage.Statistical analysis of the results of bread quality characteristics during storage revealed that, the gas in headspace of package did not significantly affect the product moisture content, while shear stress, maximum force and the microbial load of the samples were thoroughly impressed by it. So that with carbon dioxide, the growth of mold and yeasts was more limited. Also was observed all product quality characteristics change significantly during storage time. So that the reduced moisture were observed up to 12th day. Conversely hardness, shear stress and microbial load increased during the storage period. The breads containing 1% HPMC showed the lowest maximum force and shear stress. Control showed the highest moisture and mold and yeast count all over the storage period.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. cv Premium crop) florets were packaged using two types of polymeric films (polyethylene, LD & polypropylene -cast)and then stored at 1°C for 18 days to study the effect of passive and active MAP (1.5%02+7.5%CO2) on preservation of quality and nutritional value as compared to non-wrapped control florets. During storage, weight loss, rate of ethylene production, quality, fermentation products, vitamin C, chlorophyll, pH and titrable acidity were assessed and estimated every 3 days. Results revealed that deterioration occurred quickly in control broccoli, manifested mainly by weight loss, firmness reduction, and chlorophyll degradation and yellowing. Conversely, in those florets packaged under MAP (especially for polypropylene), ethylene production as well as all other changes related with loss 9f quality was significantly reduced. This situation prolonged storability up to 18 days with high quality attributes as well as vitamin C preservation. At the end of the storage period, broccoli gradually developed slight to moderate alcoholic off-odors accumulating ethanol, and acetaldehyde in the tissues.

White and red meats are suspectible to spoilage and quality degradation because of microbial spoilage, lipid oxidation, and other degrading factors. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can increase the shelf life of white and red meats by replacing the air inside the package with a gas or gas mixture suitable for the product. The gas mixtures typically include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen, depending on the meat type. However, MAP with high levels of oxygen causes lipid oxidation and the growth of aerobic microorganisms, which can lead to undesired changes in the meat. MAP with low oxygen levels, on the other hand, alters the meat color and activity of anaerobic microorganisms. Even though MAP with carbon dioxide prevents the growth of microorganisms, the possibility of bacterial growth, specifically spore-producing types, still exists in long-term storage. Therefore, combining MAP with other technologies like oxygen scavengers, carbon dioxide emitters, antimicrobial compounds, edible coatings with antimicrobial properties, or novel technologies such as irradiation, pulsed electric field, high hydrostatic pressure, cold plasma, and ultrasound can enhance its effectiveness. Intelligent systems can also be used to ensure the safety and quality of food products in MAP.

Food spoilage occurs in different forms during the storage phase. It affects the texture, nutritional value, health quality, taste, and color of foods. Introducing the modern processes of food industries seems useful due to their remarkable expansion in the country. Food packaging is an instance of the processes that have been proposed in the science of food industries and have numerous applications. The Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a modern concept in food packaging. The technique modifies the properties of a closed atmosphere in the desired way by manipulating the natural atmosphere of the air (21% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen, and 0. 03% Carbon Dioxide),thus, foods can be stored longer with higher qualities. The MAP technique is applied for various foods like bread, dairy products, meat, chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, tamarisk and nuts, and flowers/plants. Foods packaged using the MAP technique are stored for longer periods and have higher qualities as their packaging is performed in atmospheres that have higher CO2 percentages compared to other atmospheres. The current study reviewed the applications of the MAP technique in food industries.

In the present study, packaging of a greenhouse-grown tomato on the culture medium containing 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% compost tea under Modified atmosphere: MA (88%N2 + 8%CO2 + 4%O2) in polyethylene and nanosilicon-polyethylene bags was studied at 5° C for 30 days. Several quality parameters such as moisture content, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), Vitamin C content, texture, and respiration rate were evaluated after 0, 10, 20, and 30 days of storage. Data were then analyzed using three-factor (i. e. substrate, packaging film, and storage time) completely randomized design with three replicates by SPSS software. Results showed that in term of substrate, the treatments containing compost tea had a significant effect on the characteristics of tomato in comparison with substrate without compost tea. However, the different levels of compost tea did not show the same results for all experiments. In term of storage time, most of the characteristics had a decreasing trend; however, they were in the defined standard domain for these properties. In term of the type of film, nano film was superior to polyethylene film. These findings confirmed the extension shelf life and maintain the quality of growing tomatoes on the substrate containing compost tea packaged under MA in a nanosilicon-polyethylene film for one month.