Israel-based packaging firm StePacPPC is releasing a brand new kind of modified environment packaging (MAP) particularly catered to defending mushrooms. It goals to guard a spread of mushrooms, from entire and sliced white mushrooms to extra ‘unique’ varieties, akin to shiitake, oyster, lion’s mane, and portabello.
Mushrooms have a really quick shelf life, often only a few days, and the packaging works to increase it, in addition to sustaining flavour, texture and vitamin, stopping weight misplaced, and serving to mushrooms to take care of their pure look. Thereby, it reduces meals waste. In accordance with Roni Sofer, VP of promoting for Marina Galilee Mushrooms, Ltd., the packaging can scale back waste by as much as 35%.
The corporate first examined out its packaging in the course of the pandemic, serving to farmers preserve backlogs of oyster mushrooms for longer.
Saving mushrooms
Whereas MAP can be utilized for quite a lot of meals, StePacPPC’s is particularly focused in the direction of mushrooms, as they’re closely affected by moisture loss. The packaging helps forestall this.
“Optimum modified environment and elimination of extra moisture are vital in preserving the standard and slowing the deterioration of contemporary mushrooms. After appreciable analysis, we’ve got succeeded in reaching each of those, which has enabled us to maximise shelf lifetime of the mushrooms,” Gary Ward, Ph.D., CTO for StePacPPC, advised FoodNavigator.
MAP packaging is in pretty widespread use, however StePacPPC has a selected focus: protecting out the moisture and defending the mushrooms.
“One main differentiating issue is that StePacPPC specializes within the improvement of superior polymer movies with a spread of water vapor transmission charges (WVTR) to handle humidity within the packaging headspace. That is vital element of modified environment packaging,” Ward advised us.
“With produce gadgets which can be delicate to moisture akin to mushrooms, it is very important take away extra moisture from the packaging headspace, however in the event you take away an excessive amount of the mushrooms will dehydrate. Tweaking the WVTR properties in accordance with the produce that’s being packed and the prevailing provide chain is essential to offering optimum MAP and that is our space of experience.” Not solely does the packaging preserve moisture out, however expels extra moisture as nicely.
MAPping the market
Mushrooms are an more and more common fungus, with many vegetarian and vegan shoppers valuing it for its meat like umami texture, and its ‘well being halo’ (mushrooms have many well being advantages – for instance, lion’s fundamental aids with cognition and shiitake promotes immunity, in accordance with the substances firm Wixon).
“As well as, cultivation of mushrooms is likely one of the most sustainable areas of agriculture,” Ward advised us.
In accordance with US-based administration consultancy Emergen Analysis, the worldwide mushroom market was price $50.4b in 2021.
Nonetheless, Ward views their quick shelf-life as an inhibition, stopping them from reaching their full market potential. Thus, he’s happy with StePacPPC’s packaging’s potential to increase their shelf life considerably past its pure span.
“Reaching 18 days storage is a significant achievement and doubtless meets the necessities of most current mushroom provide chains. If we’re profitable in extending the preservation time even additional then in fact it could be welcome, however we additionally notice that there’s a restrict to how a lot you’ll be able to prolong the physiological lifetime of produce.”
