StePacPPC has customized its modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) films to preserve fresh whole and sliced white mushrooms, and whole exotic mushrooms, such as oyster, lion’s mane, shiitake, portabella and more. The lean MAP system fulfills consumer demands for sustainable packaging that slows deterioration and dramatically reduces waste of this highly perishable item.
StePacPPC’s latest advancement in its packaging formats is designed specifically to maintain the freshness of whole and sliced white mushrooms, and whole exotic mushrooms. The customized films significantly slow down decay and reduce weight loss of costly culinary delicacies, preserving texture, nutrition, and flavor thereby effectively diminishing a considerable amount of waste and cost.
Over the past decade, consumer demand for mushrooms has surged, with more exotic species entering the mainstream. They are considered a culinary specialty, appreciated for their savory qualities and nutritional benefits. According to data by Emergen Research, the global mushroom market size is valued at more than USD50 billion. This number is expected to more the double by 2030.
“Mushrooms have high metabolic activity and respiration rates which gives them a short shelf life, typically just a few days,” explains Gary Ward, Ph.D., CTO for StePacPPC. “They also generate a lot of moisture during the respiration process, which encourages bacterial decay. On the other hand, they are also prone to dehydration which causes them to shrivel, and they become discolored due to oxidation. Sliced mushrooms are even more susceptible to a rapid decline in quality.”
The high water-vapor transmission rate of StePacPPC films, coupled with the customized modified atmosphere properties, have proven ideal for preserving the quality of both whole and sliced mushrooms, at once slowing respiration and aging, reducing dehydration, and expelling excess moisture from the packaging.
“In post-harvest lab and field trials, our films have demonstrated abilities to maintain the freshness and wholesome appearance of mushrooms,” asserts Ward. “This effectively stretches their shelf life from just a few days to more than two weeks, generating meaningful reductions in food waste.”
StePacPPC’s packaging first demonstrated its potential for mushroom preservation during the Covid pandemic. Oyster mushroom farmers found themselves with backlogs of produce due to the logistical standstills. StePacPPC’s Xtend® bulk packaging solutions were instrumental in helping prolong storage in the cold storage, effectively mitigating waste.
Since then, the company has developed Xtend bulk packaging solutions for lion’s mane, shiitake and portabella.
More recently, StePacPPC and its longstanding partner, Windham Packaging, LLC, completed the adaptation of its Xflow™ brand of roll-stock films for automated packing to meet the specific preservation needs of bulk fresh sliced white mushrooms.
StePacPPC’s newest Xflow solutions already are gaining momentum in North America, where they are preserving the quality of bulk-packed sliced mushrooms for foodservice outlets such as restaurants and hotels.
These lean and sustainable packaging formats can optionally be produced with 30% recycled material to support a circular economy. This is in conjunction to its longstanding use of mechanically recycled content.
StePacPPC will be at Fruit Logistica in hall 5.2, booth #C22.