How to Choose the Right MAP Packaging System for Fresh Food

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) replaces the air inside a pack with a controlled gas mix — typically nitrogen and carbon dioxide — to slow spoilage and keep fresh food appealing. Choosing the right MAP packaging system depends on your product, your film and your line speed. With 30 years of manufacturing experience, Link Machinery helps producers match all three.

Step 1: Understand Your Product’s Needs

Fresh meat and fish need high carbon dioxide to suppress bacteria; vegetables need oxygen to keep breathing; bakery goods need mostly nitrogen. Know your product’s respiration rate before choosing a gas mix.

Step 2: Choose the Gas Delivery Method

• Gas flushing: gas is injected before sealing — simple, fast, ideal for pillow bags and sachets
• Compensated vacuum: air is drawn out first, then gas is added — better residual oxygen control for trays

Step 3: Match Film and Seal Quality

A high-barrier film keeps the gas mix inside for the shelf life you promise. Seal integrity is even more important: a micro-leak turns MAP into a liability. Link’s machines use servo-driven sealing jaws with consistent pressure and temperature, verified by optional seal testers.

Step 4: Fit the Line Speed

MAP slows the line slightly because gas must be introduced before every seal. Plan for 20–60 packs per minute depending on pack format, and let Link size the gas flushing module to your target.

Contact the Link Machinery team with your product and shelf-life target — we will design the MAP system around them.