Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Coffee

 As the demand for premium quality coffee continues to increase around the world, manufacturers must ensure that their product remains fresh for as long as possible. For freshly roasted coffee, oxygen is the number one enemy. As soon as coffee beans have been roasted, the volatile oils that are responsible for coffee’s alluring aromas and flavours are vulnerable to oxidation by oxygen in the air.  

 One approach that manufacturers use is to package the freshly roasted beans in a metallic foil bag containing a valve. Freshly roasted coffee beans give out carbon dioxide for several hours after roasting, and because this is heavier than oxygen it can push the oxygen upwards towards the top of the packaging and out of the valve. 

This can bring the oxygen content of the package down, but the extent of the displacement of the oxygen depends largely how long after roasting the bag is sealed. Even if the levels come down to, for example, 5 or 10 per cent this concentration of oxygen is still sufficient to cause significant oxidation of the volatile oils of the beans. Tests have shown that it is best to have less than 3 per cent oxygen in the package.

An efficient way of achieving this is to flush the package with the inert gas nitrogen to displace nearly all of the oxygen. This gives the coffee a much longer shelf life, retaining the distinctive aromas and flavours. The nitrogen itself can be supplied in cylinders for smaller producers, with bulk tanks or even on-site generation for larger producers. 

With oxygen almost completely expelled from the package, the volatiles remain unoxidised for far longer – allowing the coffee to maintain its freshness and achieve a significantly prolonged shelf life.  

 Coffee is a delicate product. In order to prevent the oxidation of the coffee in portion packs, nitrogen gas is used during dosing until the capsules are sealed and the oxygen is removed. Due to cost efficiency – and to respect the ecological balance – it is important to keep the nitrogen consumption as low as possible while optimizing the shelf life and quality of the product.

 Coffee Pods are freshly ground coffee packed into a paper filter pod and then sealed individually into a foil pouch with oxygen removed to maintain freshness. They are for single cup brewing in pod brewers and are available in different brew strengths, flavors and decaf. There are unlimited coffee choices in coffee pods and cleanup is a breeze, just discard or better yet, compost them in your garden. Famous brand include nespresso, tobys, jacobs, douwe egberts, senseo, kenco, tassimo etc 

If you drink Coffee in Australia, it is likely you have enjoyed the freshest taste because of N2 generated by a CPS installation. 

From sizing, supply & installation plus ongoing maintenance of coffee N2 systems, CPS are here to assist. 

Contact us today.