Packaging Proteins: How Packaging Protects and Preserves Meat, Cheese, and More

Welcome back to Package This, your guide to machinery and materials. In this episode, we explore the packaging technology that helps keep our favorite proteins fresh and safe. From steaks and seafood to cheeses and cold cuts, protein products are often packaged using two distinct technologies.

The first one is thermoform/fill/seal systems, which heat plastic to form and cut trays, fill them with product, and seal the packages with a film seal. The other main packaging technology used for proteins is vacuum packaging systems, which often use pre-formed bags to tightly wrap products by removing air.

Thermoformed Trays 

First, let’s delve into the thermoforming side and look at foods in trays.

Rigid trays are all over the supermarket, from ground beef and turkey trays to frozen dinners and even fresh foods. Once filled, rigid trays are sealed with a thin plastic liner on top.

Thermoformed tray machines often also integrate modified atmosphere packaging or MAP and other technologies that help extend shelf life and maintain product quality.

Thermoformed Flexible Vacuum Packs

Thermoformed flexible vacuum packs also use heat, but in contrast to rigid trays, are formed using plastic that is more flexible than rigid trays. Flexible vacuum packaging is used for a wide range of products, from string cheese and deli meats to cuts of steak.

The advantage of thermoformed flexible vacuum pack machines is that they can accommodate various product shapes and film widths of different thicknesses.

Thermoformed Semi-Rigid Packs

Think of thermoformed semi-rigid packs as a middle ground between rigid trays and flexible packs, combining protection with a visually appealing design. 

These packs, formed on a variety of thermoform/fill/seal equipment, are sometimes used for lunch meats and cheeses. Most often, they have a semi-rigid tray that is slightly bendable and a peelable top film, maintaining product integrity while offering convenience to consumers.

Vacuum Shrink Packs

Now, let's look at vacuum technologies for proteins that are distinct from thermoforming applications, starting with vacuum shrink packs. These packages are formed using heat to shrink a flexible plastic bag tightly around a product, creating a tight, tamper-evident package.

The process involves wrapping, vacuum-sealing, and heat-shrinking a film around the product that wraps tightly around the product by itself, often with no tray to hold the protein. Vacuum shrink packs conform around the shape of the product while providing a strong barrier against contamination for products like pork ribs, steak cuts, and some seafood.

Vacuum Skin Packs

Finally, in contrast to vacuum shrink packs which usually wrap around the protein product with no tray, skin packs most often secure products to a tray with plastic film, creating a tight, vacuum seal for a skin-like appearance. 

You have seen vacuum skin packs in the supermarket for proteins like bacon, pork loin, and seafood packages showing off the edges of the product inside. Vacuum skin packaging is designed to enhance freshness and protection while focusing on presentation.

We hope you enjoyed this overview of the various options for packaging proteins!

For more videos on packaging machinery and materials, check out our Package This series on YouTube. To explore more packaging equipment, visit PMMI ProSource at prosource.org, a searchable directory with 1,000 packaging and processing suppliers. 

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