A very harmful and costly myth still persists in the fresh food packaging industry. It goes like this - "just puncture the film so the product inside can breathe." This approach, based on using traditional macroperforation, leads to a drastic reduction in product quality and huge financial losses in the supply chain.
To understand why packaging must be more than just "punctured film," we need to look at the physics of freshness and the fundamental difference between macroperforation and laser microperforation.
Every fruit and vegetable is a living organism. Even after being picked from a bush or pulled from the ground, it continues its life processes - consuming oxygen from the environment and emitting carbon dioxide and water vapor. This process is known as respiration.
The key to extending a product's freshness is slowing down this process. By precisely limiting oxygen access, we can put vegetables and fruits to "sleep," slowing down their decay. However, this requires creating an ideal microclimate inside the packaging, known as Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP).
Macroperforation involves large-diameter holes. While they provide ventilation, they offer no control over the environment inside the packaging. Uncontrolled gas exchange with the surroundings means excess oxygen gets inside, making it impossible to put the product to "sleep."
For packers, this means accelerated spoilage and a drastic drop in weight due to fresh produce dehydration. In an industry where billing is based on product weight, water evaporation means a direct loss of pure profit for both the packer and the producer.
The solution to these problems is transitioning to precise laser processing, which has evolved from traditional punching all the way to nanoperforation. PerfoTec systems have taken microperforation a step further, now offering the revolutionary NanoPerf technology, creating ultra-small perforations of just 50 microns. This is an area nearly five times smaller than traditional 110-micron holes. This high-precision solution is highly sought after by the salad industry, especially for ready-to-eat salads and fresh-cut fruits, which utilize the Expert model of the PerfoTec system.
Burning a small hole is only half the battle. The true technological advantage lies in controlling this process. The PerfoTec Multi Head Laser System features a patented closed-loop feedback camera system.
For film converters, switching to advanced laser perforation does not mean slowing down production. The PerfoTec Multi Head Laser System integrates seamlessly into any slitting or printing setup. It operates at speeds up to 450 meters/minute for maximum efficiency. The software stores up to 200 custom laser programs, with fast changeovers.
Moreover, the laser machine is part of a larger ecosystem. To implement a comprehensive approach to reducing food waste across the supply chain, the perforation system can be paired with the Fast Respiration Meter 4.0 to accurately measure the respiration rate of fresh produce.
Discover the capabilities of precision PerfoTec laser systems. Contact our experts, who can connect globally via a secure router to monitor, manage, and optimize your system's settings remotely.
