New MAP technology doubles sushi shelf life
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- Published on Thursday, 11 March 2010 11:02
ISRAEL - As one of the fastest-growing light-meal and snack trends, fresh sushi’s main challenge to producers and retailers is increasing its shelf life to prevent fewer returns and discards of expired products. An Israeli sealing packaging equipment supplier says it now has the solution.
Packing sushi with Hefestus Ltd’s proprietary packaging technology provides cutting-edge benefits both to consumers and marketers. The company’s Shelf Life Booster (SLB) technology now makes it possible for sushi lovers to enjoy fresh sushi anywhere with double the shelf life and no effect on appearance, taste and ‘mouthfeel’. Sushi makers do not have to use preservatives that detract from the healthy image of the product and prevent a clean label application.
In addition, with the doubling of shelf life enabled by the SLB technology, brand owners and retailers can expand their sushi products geographic marketing area, increasing overall sales.
SLB is Hefestus’s patented for Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) without mechanical vacuum. Unlike conventional MAP sealers, the company’s MAP is achieved within one fully automatic vacuum free SLB sealing head. As no vacuum is drawn at any stage, products packed using SLB do not have their texture and appearance affected.
Hefestus’ packaging machines enable maximum versatility of trays and packaging sizes, and quick set-up times between different product types and different trays. Clean-up and operation is easy, a crucial factor in ready-meal packaging lines, particularly for those that use fresh fish.
“We anticipate a growing demand for our packaging solution in 2010 due to this breakthrough in the sushi-on-the-go category,” said Hefestus president and CEO, Oded Shtemer.
“This is the most comprehensive packaging solution in the market, enabling sushi suppliers to maximize sales and profit of this extremely sensitive product.”
Hefestus Ltd specializes in providing advanced packaging solutions for extending the shelf life of fresh cut fruits and vegetables via its worldwide patented SLB technology. Established in 1993, the company was for many years known as a boutique engineering workshop specializing in unique packaging solutions for the food industry in Israel.
It develops and manufactures a wide variety of standand and custom-made top sealing packaging machines, from manual to fully automatic lines, to meet the complex packaging requirements of processors and consumers. Hefestus’ machines combine an innovative patent of MAP SLB technology, and are sold to eastern and western Europe, USA, Russia, South Africa, Australia and Japan.
