SUPPLIERS of food in modified atmosphere packaging are faced with a sizeable challenge as retail stores continue demanding high quality. For these food suppliers this means that continuous quality control is paramount to avoid returned goods and a damaged reputation.

Witt Gas technologies have stepped in to enable suppliers to enhance their quality control. With speeds up to 15 cycles per minute Witt\$quot;s Markus Mertens believes that the company\$quot;s new in line micro leak detection system \$quot;˜Leak-Master Inline\$quot; is the solution.

Mertens said: \$quot;It can be easily synchronised with the cycles of packaging machines and we believe this is the only leak detection system that can do this. With \$quot;˜Leak-Master Inline\$quot;, most producing or packaging facilities can quickly test every product that is packed \$quot;“ this is a significant benefit for quality management in the food industry.

\$quot;The main factors influencing the speeds are the CO2 concentration in the package and the chamber size,\$quot; explained Mertens. \$quot;The gases used for products packed in a modified atmosphere usually include CO2, there are other products that actually give off CO2. The \$quot;˜Leak-Master Inline\$quot; uses this CO2 as a trace gas, making it possible to test the newly produced packages for leaks directly after the packaging process.\$quot;