How to eliminate freezer burn
Two ways to help eliminate the problem of freezer burn of meat, fish, pizzas and other frozen foods have been developed by Versaperm.
The company has introduced a new instrument to measure the water vapour permeability of packaging materials.
It has also introduced a testing service for companies where the volume of testing is insufficient to justify the purchase of dedicated gas permeability testing equipment.
Freezer burn is caused by water vapour escaping from the product's frozen surface and migrating through the packaging material.
It causes an unsightly and unappetising brown stain or it can appear as a fuzzy, greyish-white spot on the food.
Although freezer burn is not usually harmful, it can cause off-flavours and can dry out and toughen the food.
Most plastics are impermeable to water as a liquid. However, all plastics will allow water vapour to pass through to varying degrees.
The only way to check how much passes through is to test the packaging. Versaperm's highly sensitive and accurate equipment can produce a reading, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes.
Conventional measurements of vapour permeability take days, or even weeks.
As well as water vapour, the Versaperm instrument can be set up to measure the permeability of most other gases.
Contact: Versaperm; Tel: 01795 430 490
