Characterization of an innovative device controlling gaseous exchange in packages for food products

The work describes both the characterization carried out and the experimental results from an innovative device allowing the gas exchange across a sealed package. The device is especially suitable for fresh fruit and vegetable preservation during cold storage, as it allows for the management of the headspace atmosphere inside sealed packages containing food products presenting metabolic activity. Characterization results confirm the device's suitability for managing the bidirectional gas flow. For each tested device, the hydro-dynamical parameter and the diffusion parameter have been measured to define its steady-state behaviour. The steady-state gas concentrations reached in the package show the aptness of the devices for use with specific products; these equilibrium gas concentrations depend on the device type and on the mass of product contained in the package.The results of simulated storage demonstrate that some products (pomegranate arils and table grapes) require preconditioning of the package free volume to reach the optimal gas concentrations in a short time. Other products (black truffle) with very high metabolic activity could reach the optimal condition without package preconditioning depending on the free volume.