An Oxygen scavenger is a substance in which one or more reactive substances can combine with oxygen to reduce or eliminate oxygen in fluids and enclosed packaging. Additionally, it is referred to as oxygen absorber, and several different conditions are used in the marketplace to describe the O2 scavenging feature, including: antioxidant, interceptor, and control. The Purpose of an oxygen scavenger is to restrict the amount of oxygen available for deteriorative reactions which could result in reduced functionality of several sorts of products, from pharmaceuticals to compounds, to foods. To stop oxygen-induced corrosion, an oxygen scavenger may be utilised as a corrosion inhibitor in software like gas and oil production installations and seawater system, thus increasing their service life.
For pharmaceutical products and several foods, deteriorative reactions because of oxygen contain lipid oxidation, nutrient loss, changes in taste and odor, alteration of feel, and microbial spoilage. Oxygen scavengers maintain product safety and enhance shelf life and customer acceptability. Oxygen Scavengers were originally used by the U.S. military for the Meals Ready-to-Eat rations, specifically to better conserve: bread, fudge brownies, wheat snack bread, potato sticks, noodles, nut raisin mix, pretzels, waffles, and hamburger buns. In Today’s food sector, modified atmosphere packaging is used to contrast the activity of enzymes or microorganisms, which can be activated by oxygen. Low levels of oxygen have been kept inside this type of packaging by way of a hermetically sealed high gas-barrier structure which protects from outside atmosphere. However, residual oxygen is inherent in crowded environment, such as in the packing headspace, in the air trapped inside meals, and in the atmosphere that may eventually permeate the barrier. The fundamental use of an oxygen scavenger is to control and reduce the residual gas in the packaging.
Often The oxygen absorber is included in a porous sachet which may be put within the package. The first patent for an oxygen scavenger used an alkaline solution of pyrogallic acid within an air-tight vessel. More contemporary scavenger sachets used a combination of iron powder and sodium chloride. However, consumers aren’t always in favor of having foreign objects within their product bundle, this giving rise to Esthetic issues and concerns about potential ingestion or rupture. Additionally, the operation of iron-based scavengers is influenced by ambient temperature and relative humidity. In Alternative, oxygen-scavenging compounds can be integrated directly into the packaging material itself. These materials consist of flexible films, rigid plastics, and liners in closures. The resulting packaging is a good example of what’s known as active packaging, that is defined as a packaging structure that reacts to changes in its surrounding environment.
