MicVac®
Nowadays, households depend more and more on convenience meals. In close cooperation with MicVac AB from Sweden, SEALPAC was able to develop a unique packaging solution for chilled ready meals. With this in-pack pasteurization and microwave cooking concept, the shelf life of premium convenience foods becomes at least 30 days at 8°C, whilst maintaining their taste and nutrition at the highest level. How does it work?
- The special MicVac® tray is filled with fresh food ingredients.
- A unique valve is applied to the top film and the tray is sealed with the top film on a SEALPAC traysealer.
- The tray is transported to a microwave tunnel, where the contents are cooked at clearly higher speeds than traditional pasteurization methods. Therefore, nutritional values remain untouched. During the heating process, the valve opens due to pressure caused by the food releasing steam.
- As soon as the pasteurization process stops and cooling begins, the valve will close again. The remaining steam condenses, causing an under-pressure in the tray. With the MicVac® method, O2 is removed in a natural way – without the use of antioxidants.
The final result is a cooked, pasteurized and vacuum packed product with excellent quality in taste and nutrition, which can be presented attractively on the retail shelves – even vertically. Consumers are able to heat the product in their microwave in only 3 minutes, with the valve releasing the steam of the food once again. It whistles when it is ready! The top film can easily be peeled from the tray and the meal is ready for consumption.
Benefits
- Continuous production at short processing times
- Extended shelf life and freshness
- Tamper-evident packaging
- Vertical presentation
- It whistles when it is ready
