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High-Barrier Animal Food Bags: Moisture, Light, and Oxygen Blocking
The high-barrier technology present in animal food bags has proven effective in creating and preserving the nutritional value and freshness for longer periods of time by addressing the primary threats brought by the environment.
Oxygen Barrier Effectiveness in Preventing the Spoilage of Dry Pet food
The rancidity of fats in dry pet food caused by Oxygen leads to the loss of the Vitamin A, D, E, and a decrease in the food's palatability. Our multi-layered films utilize aluminum metalization and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) to offer an Oxygen Transmission rate (OTR) of less than 1 cm³/m²·day·atm to block oxygen ingress. When used with a structural laminate, these multi-layer films prevent the development of an off-flavor and protect the vitamins in kibble during transit and display.
Nutrient Retention UV Resistant Films
Seal Integrity in Animal Food Bags: Critical Protection Against Contamination
Seal integrity is extremely important to prevent contamination in animal food bags. Seals are the first line of defense that protects the food inside the bag from the nutrients, removing the potential of pet food to be either of contaminated raw materials or food and endangering pet safety. According to the recalls published in the FDA in 2022 and 2023, contamination of food in seals to the bags about 30% of the recalls, and this recalls the food of thousands of pets. The effective seals are able to maintain the food quality throughout production and transport as well as from the manipulated temperature and the food contaminated from the microorganisms. The seals are effective at maintaining during:
Microbial contamination that causes the food to spoil and makes the organisms sick
The pests that can be found in the storage of either the bags or food product
The air-born contamination coming from dust, the volatile organism that can be in the food
Combined success sealeing methods that also use heat sealing can provide seals that won’t break and leave weak spots in the seal.
The Advanced Packaging Technologies Integrated into Animal Food Bags
The Benefits of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and Vacuum Sealing
Using Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) in animal food bags uses an inert gas blend (usually nitrogen (N₂) or carbon dioxide (CO₂)) to displace the headspace oxygen in the package to slow down the oxidative reactions and to inhibit aerobic microorganisms by up to 60% compared to air filled packages. This approach stabilizes fat and vitamins in the dry kibble without changing the kibble texture or requiring refrigeration. Vacuum sealing works in conjunction with MAP by pulling the remaining air out of the package before the final seal, resulting in an anaerobic environment ideal for moisture-sensitive formats like freeze-dried raw diets and extending shelf life by 30-50% while preserving the protein structure and enzymatic activity. Together with high-barrier films, MAP and vacuum technologies help to reduce post-production food waste and increase the resilience of the supply chain for longer periods.
With Animal Food Bags, Active Components: Packaging with Scavengers and Intelligent Indicators
Active scavengers, particularly iron based sachets or additive blended polymers, have for the first time been introduced in the premium animal food bags in the inner liners. These scavengers reduce the residual O₂ concentration to 0.01% and protect the highly unsaturated fats and fortified vitamins in the therapeutic and senior-formula diets. At the same time, intelligent indicators, such as time-temperature integrators and slow oxidation sensors, allow for non-invasive verification of the quality of the products. Field trials for 2023 by the Pet Food Institute resulted in claims of premature spoilage being reduced by 25% when active indicators were used, thus allowing consumers to judge the freshness of the product without breaking the integrity of the packaging.
FAQ
Q: Why use high-barrier animal food bags?
A: High-barrier pet food bags are meant to keep certain elements like oxygen, moisture, and light out. They keep pet food from spoiling and preserve the nutrients while also extending the shelf life.
Q: What can oxygen do to dry pet food?
A: Exposure to oxygen causes pet food to go stale and rancid. This causes pet food to oxidize and lose its vitamins (A,D and E) and become less appetizing to pets.
Q: What is the importance of seal integrity in pet food?
A: Seal Integrity is vital to protect the integrity of the product. If seals are broken, oxygen and moisture can enter and pests and bacteria like Salmonella can contaminate the product. This is vital to keep the product safe.
Q: Explain Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and vacuum sealing.
A: MAP and vacuum sealing are two different processes. MAP takes out the oxygen and uses inert gas (like nitrogen) to take the place of the oxygen. This prevents pets food from spoiling. At the same time, the vacuum sealing also removes oxygen from the environment but then places pet food in a moisture-free anaerobic environment.
Q: What are oxygen scavengers and intelligent indicators?
A: Oxygen scavengers take in residual oxygen and intelligent indicators simply mean the packaging has real time freshness data. Both devices keep animal food from breaking the integrity of the packaging.