Ilapak’s Delta Vacmap technology extends shelf life of baked goods
Ilapak’s new Delta Vacmap technology is seeing growing success, as food manufacturers look for ways of prolonging the shelf life of fresh baked goods without the use of artificial ingredients and preservatives.
“Consumers across Europe and elsewhere are rejecting products that contain artificial preservatives or have undergone heavy processing in a bid to extend shelf life,” said Christian Ballabio, product manager at Ilapak.
“Our Delta Vacmap technology, which combines a thermoforming shelf life with a pillow pack presentation, plays into the hands of this trend. In the last two years, sales of this technology have doubled, mirroring the response from the market.”
He added: “We are also experiencing particularly strong demand from the growing gluten-free sector – these products tend to command a premium over conventional products, so consumers expect a long shelf life and definitely don’t want this to be achieved via the use of preservatives.”
By performing gas flushing and vacuuming at the same time, this modified atmosphere technology can extend the shelf life of items like fresh pizzas, croissants, brioche and tortillas to up to 30 days or more – normally only achievable with a thermoforming process.
At the same time manufacturers benefit from a more attractive, environmentally friendly and cheaper packaging format at a time when plastic waste reduction is a huge focus.