Oxygen Generators For High Oxygen Packaging
EMCO's OxyFresh sachets generate oxygen and absorb CO2. High oxygen may seems counterintuitive, but it is extremely effective at extending shelf life of certain fruits, vegetables & live shellfish exports.
OxyFresh Sachets That Generate Oxygen And Absorb Carbon Dioxide
Is removing oxygen always the right answer? Not at all. For living produce and live shellfish, oxygen is not the enemy, it is the requirement. Seal them into a low oxygen atmosphere and they suffocate, ferment and spoil far faster than they would in air.
OxyFresh works the other way round from a conventional absorber. It generates oxygen inside the pack while absorbing the carbon dioxide the product gives off, which sounds counterintuitive and is remarkably effective for the right applications.
How High Oxygen Packaging Works For Respiring Products
Why Do Some Products Need Oxygen Rather Than Less Of It?
Most active packaging removes oxygen, because most packaged products deteriorate through oxidation. Respiring products are the exception. Fresh produce continues to breathe after harvest, consuming oxygen and producing carbon dioxide, and live shellfish do the same at a far higher rate. In a sealed pack both gases move in the wrong direction at once: oxygen falls until the product respires anaerobically and develops off-flavours, while carbon dioxide climbs until it becomes toxic to the product. A conventional low-oxygen pack would suffocate rather than protect these products.
How OxyFresh Manages Both Gases Together
EMCO OxyFresh sachets address both movements simultaneously, generating oxygen to replace what the product consumes and absorbing the carbon dioxide it emits, holding the internal atmosphere in the range the product actually needs rather than simply lowering it. This dual action is what distinguishes the technology from a standard oxygen generator: managing only one gas while the other drifts unchecked would still leave the product in an unbalanced atmosphere.
Who Uses High Oxygen Packaging, And Why
For live shellfish exports this can be the difference between arrival rates that make a route commercially viable and ones that do not, and for high-value cut and whole produce it extends the window in which the product still looks and tastes as it should. The applications are specific rather than universal — certain fruits, vegetables and live shellfish exports — and the technology works poorly for anything prone to oxidation, so it is specified against measured respiration rate rather than applied as a general rule.
Key Points
- Generates oxygen inside the pack to support respiring products
- Absorbs carbon dioxide emitted by the product at the same time
- Maintains a viable atmosphere on long export routes
- Extends shelf life in certain fruits and vegetables
- Improves arrival condition for live shellfish exports
- Prevents anaerobic respiration, off-flavours and fermentation
- Specified against measured respiration rate rather than a nominal figure
- No equipment or process change required
- Product and route testing available before specification
FAQs About Oxygen Generators And High Oxygen Packaging
Why would anyone add oxygen to a package?
Because some products are still alive. Fresh produce and live shellfish respire, and if the oxygen in a sealed pack runs out they switch to anaerobic respiration, which produces off-flavours and rapid deterioration. Adding oxygen keeps them respiring normally.
Which products suit high oxygen packaging?
Certain fruits and vegetables, and live shellfish exports in particular. It is not appropriate for products that deteriorate through oxidation, which is the majority of packaged foods.
Why absorb carbon dioxide at the same time?
Respiring products emit carbon dioxide as they consume oxygen. Left to accumulate it becomes toxic to the product, so managing both gases together is more effective than addressing either alone.
How is this different from modified atmosphere packaging?
MAP sets the atmosphere once at sealing and it then drifts as the product respires. OxyFresh works continuously inside the pack, actively correcting the atmosphere throughout the journey rather than at the start of it.
Does it work for long sea freight?
Long export routes are one of the main applications, because that is where the gap between packing condition and arrival condition is largest and where equipment-based intervention is not available.
How do I know which specification I need?
Respiration rate varies widely by product, temperature and maturity, so it needs measuring rather than estimating. We test against your product and intended route before recommending a format.
