There’s an art to properly packaging fruits and vegetables. They’re living organisms that need fresh air, and they surely won’t survive long while packaged inside boxes without oxygen or sunlight. Who enjoys opening fruits, nuts, and vegetable packaging only to find that their produce began decomposing right inside the bag?
Not only is there an art to using barrier produce bags, there’s also a science. Luckily, innovative technology has allowed us to develop top-notch barrier film for fruits and vegetables. By combining the science of keeping product fresh with smart technology, barrier bags for fruits and vegetables are the ultimate solution for maintaining quality freshness and increasing shelf life.
Packaging Can Make it Or Break it
Being smart and selective with your barrier bag has its advantages. Poor quality packaging can lead to not only damaged produce, but a damaged reputation. If you’re counting on flimsy produce bags to protect your produce and maintain freshness, don’t count on quality produce filling your customers’ shopping carts.
Tapping Into An Ideal Environment For Your Fruits And Vegetables
Proper produce storage isn’t one size fits all. One of the keys to understanding how to properly package fruits and vegetables is hitting the right storage conditions. Analyzing the ideal storage temperatures for your produce helps create the ultimate barrier packaging for fruits and vegetables.
Here’s a rough guide to understanding optimal storage temperatures for different types of produce:
Storing your produce at the right temperature can extend shelf life by up to 800%. If that number isn’t impressive enough for you to re-think your fruits, nuts, and vegetable packaging strategy, are you sure you’re in the right industry?
Let’s dig a bit deeper into other critical elements for fruit and vegetable packaging.
Considering Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, And Ethylene
We all know that there’s more to storing fruits and vegetables than temperature alone. It’s true that produce needs to breathe within barrier packaging, but exactly how much oxygen is required?
Just like optimal temperature settings, each kind of produce has its own oxygen level requirements. This also applies to carbon dioxide levels and ethylene sensitivities.
Let’s not forget that moisture levels matter with produce, too. With the list aforementioned produce list, these fruits and vegetables require moisture levels from within 85-100%.
Transforming Barrier Bags Into Top Notch Produce Storage Solutions
As we understand the science of maintaining produce, we can transfer that knowledge into designing quality barrier packaging for fruits and vegetables. By using the recommended levels for optimum storage, we can extend the shelf life of your produce and give your customers the best bang for their buck.
Finding The Right Films For Maximum Performance
The problem with storing fruits and vegetables in airtight packaging is that the produce runs out of oxygen, and eventually it will wither and die. In order to prevent a premature death in our beloved fruits and vegetables, we must create an ideal environment by using the correct film for produce.
Barrier pouches for fruits and vegetables allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass through the film, despite that the packaging is sealed tight. Ensuring that the produce receives proper oxygen will help extend shelf life, while ultimately keeping produce fresher for a longer period of time.
Film thickness in fruit and vegetable packaging must be taken into account during the manufacturing process. Film that is too thin will prevent gas transportation, which blocks oxygen from entering the barrier packaging. Oxygen consumption must remain at a consistent pace by the produce, or else the fruits and vegetables will die.
The answer to controlling the environment of your produce’s fruits and vegetables is perforation. Selecting high quality of packaging along with proper film thickness will result in the best environment possible for your packaged produce. Once quality is combined with ideal film thickness, holes will allow for extra ventilation for oxygen to pass through the packaging, leaving you with healthier vegetables for your customers.
Characteristics of Quality Produce Packaging
So, what exactly do we mean when we say that your bags must be of a certain quality?
We’ve said before that one of the problems with produce packaging is that zippers and seals tend to break during transportation. This means that by the time your produce hits the grocery store, your zippers and seals are already useless. Grapes will spill out of the bag and insects will enter your packaging, leaving your customers with an unwanted surprise by the time they get home.
You can prevent this situation by investing in high quality barrier bags. This will decrease the chances of your zippers and seals failing before getting to your customers’ hands. Failing seals is one of the biggest indicators of low quality produce packaging, and your customers can tell the difference when you cut corners.
High quality bags for fruits and vegetables are:
- Flexible without being flimsy
- They have sturdy seals and zippers
- They maintain shape throughout the product’s life cycle
- They make a presence in the produce aisle
If your current produce packaging doesn’t meet these four characteristics, you’re heading down a road of rotten produce, lost revenue, and dissatisfied customers.
Give Produce a Longer Shelf Life With Barrier Bags
You owe it to your customers to help your produce last longer and stay fresher. Fresh produce is always a hot seller, and you can’t go wrong with quality barrier packaging for fruits and vegetables.
