Biogenic amine oxidizer or unreactive absorber

Abstract

The invention relates to a package for protein containing foods comprising a sealable food covering and, in the interior of the covering, a permeable container wherein an oxidizer is in the permeable container oxidizer substantially irreversibly reacts with biogenic amines within the covering to form compounds without objectionable odor or toxicity; in another embodiment the invention provides a package for protein containing foods comprising a sealable food covering and, in the interior of the covering, a permeable container wherein an unreactive absorbent is in the permeable container and the unreactive absorbent absorbs, but does not react with biogenic amines within the covering to largely remove the biogenic amines from the package.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to the removal of biogenic amines during food storage and packaging.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]One of the challenges food packaging industry has to cope with is to preserve packaged goods as long as possible, in order to increase the shelf life of the package. A particular problem is encountered in modified atmosphere packagings (MAP): these packagings present a headspace between the packaged good and the packaging film covering the packaged goods, where some unwanted compounds may accumulate during the shelf life. It is known to add additives and substances to packaging films in order to either release substances to the packaged good or to remove substances, either present in the headspace of the packages or generated by the packaged good, from the headspace.[0003]These so-called active packaging products are for instance capable of removing oxygen, sulfites or aldehydes, from the packaging headspace. U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,061 ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a package for protein-containing foods that has a covering and a permeable container inside. The permeable container contains an oxidizer that reacts with biogenic amines in the covering to form compounds without causing odor or toxicity. This results in a safer and more stable food product.

Problems solved by technology

A particular problem is encountered in modified atmosphere packagings (MAP): these packagings present a headspace between the packaged good and the packaging film covering the packaged goods, where some unwanted compounds may accumulate during the shelf life.

Nevertheless, due to the problem of generation of amines during storage of fish, the packaging of fresh fish is still not common.

Although amines generated by bacteria during the aging of fish can be considered as a freshness indicator, they usually smell bad and their accumulation in the headspace of fresh fish packages can lead to rejection by the consumer despite the fact that the fish can still be considered as fresh.

In consequence, although the shelf life of fresh fish packaged in MAP can be more than doubled, and more cost effective distribution channels can be used, fresh fish packaging has not yet had the success one could have expected.

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