The Aroma map system for packaged food aims to empower modified atmosphere packaged products with natural aromas. Combining natural compound vapours such as essential oils or aromas with map can give an enhanced aroma or flavour to packaged products, as Neil Hansford explains.
Can you tell about Air Products and your role at the company?
Neil Hansford: I am the industrial cryogenic and food expert and I manage Air Products UK and Ireland Freshline Applications portfolio. This includes freezing, chilling, inerting and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (map) technologies in the food and beverage industry. Air Products itself is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for 75 years.
What is the story behind the Aroma map innovation?
NH: At Air Products we are very proud of our R&D capabilities and pride ourselves on our innovation within the food industry. Aroma map is another example of how we work with our customers and develop new and exciting technologies to enhance their products. Using aromas to brand products has been a marketing tool for many industries and we have developed the Aroma map system to allow food manufacturers to give their products this same aroma branding. It has the added benefit of some aroma-essential oils also having antimicrobial properties that can add to a product’s shelf-life and help reduce waste.
map gases are derived from the air that we breathe and essential oils are natural plant extracts so Aroma map enables the customer to maintain its clean label ethos while improving the shelf-life and aroma of its products.
What are the main applications for the product?
NH: The possible applications for Aroma map are endless, but initially we are focusing on the chilled fresh food market including processed meats and vegetarian alternatives, savoury snacks, salads, bakery products and others.
Who are your key customers?
NH: The Aroma map application, which is incorporated into a manufacturer’s existing packaging line, could be used by anyone from a start-up company producing a small volume of artisan products to a large multi-site processor producing millions of packs of product per day.
We have seen it applied to processed products, but could Aroma map be applied to whole or cut fruits and vegetables further down the line?
NH: We have already worked on using the Aroma map technology with fresh bagged salads. If we are approached by a fresh fruit or vegetable producer to test the system with their product we can quickly set up a trial at our Basingstoke, UK labs to evaluate the product/Aroma Map combination.
