Oxygen absorbers have been around for several years already. Certainly, some countries have a higher usage of oxygen absorbers compared to others.
You are probably wondering why this is the case and what are the motivators behind this?
In Europe, there is the European Commission that oversees the usage of preservatives in the food and beverage sector amongst other sectors. According to their website, preservatives can be found in many food products to reduce the risk of microbial contamination of the product and to ensure the product remains suitable and safe during shelf-life and the period of its use by consumers.
The European Commission states that without the use of preservatives, food products can become contaminated with microorganisms, leading to product spoilage, loss of product taste and flavour, and possibly irritation, infections or other adverse health reactions to the consumer.
In recent years, there has been backlash from consumers in Europe around the dangerous chemical preservatives that many food manufacturers are using in their food products.
As a result, the European Commission has started introducing regulations prohibiting the use of certain preservatives. They have said that all preservatives will undergo rigorous evaluation including safety assessments and quality testing, to make sure that they are safe for use.
How did Oxygen Absorbers become so popular in Europe?
Since the European Commission has introduced regulations prohibiting the use of several preservatives, many of the manufacturers in Europe have turned to natural alternatives.
As soon as food manufacturers started to notice the role that oxygen absorbers have in the removal of dissolved oxygen, preserving the colour, texture and aroma of different food products, and importantly inhibition of food spoilage microbes, the usage of oxygen absorbers in Europe skyrocketed.
Active packaging technology in food preservation has improved over decades mostly due to the sealing of foods in oxygen impermeable package material and the quality of oxygen absorbers.
Ferrous iron oxides are the most reliable and commonly used oxygen absorbers within the food industry. Oxygen absorbers have been transformed from sachets of dried iron-powder to simple self-adhesive patches to accommodate any custom size, capacity and application.
Now that the usage of oxygen absorbers is high within Europe, the technology of oxygen absorbers is rapidly improving.
The future of Oxygen Absorbers in South Africa
I am sure as a South African food manufacturer, you are asking yourself what is the turning point for our country ?
With so many food manufacturers using dangerous chemical preservatives and no regulatory body actively managing the preservatives used within the food industry, many consumers are being affected by these dangerous chemical preservatives without them even knowing.
As South Africans will we ever be able to confidently know that our food is being preserved through natural alternatives rather than the current chemical preservatives we are having to suffer from ?
If you know the answer to this issue, please get in contact with Leigh on leigh@kubepac.com
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