WITT Presents New Test Method for Modified Atmosphere Packaging

The higher the product quality, the more important the quality control – and therefore the more expensive it is if the packaging is destroyed and the product can no longer be sold. Witt-Gasetechnik said it is reducing these costs to zero with its new “Oxybeam” gas analyzer which uses a laser beam to determine the oxygen content without damaging the packaging.

The sole requirement is to have a small viewing window into the interior of the packaging, which is the case with most shells, deep-drawn trays or tubular bags. The product is laid under the sensor and the measurements are commenced via the touch screen. The result is available after about four seconds. The compact table-top analyzer shows the measured residual oxygen content to an accuracy of 0.1% absolute, the company said.

Oxybeam measures how much laser light is absorbed in the packaging to determine the oxygen content. The Witt device requires no separate reflecting surface that has to be glued inside the package or printed on the inside of the film – a real cost benefit. “The system represents a real advance in the final inspection of products packed under a protective atmosphere,” said Head of Marketing Alexander Kampschulte. Additionally, as the laser leaves the packaging undamaged and does not consume any protective gas during its use, repeated tests on a package as part of a long-term observation are possible.

Oxybeam works with a class 1 infrared laser that does not require eye protection, due to its 760 nm wavelength, and the product in the packaging as a whole does not get warm as the laser power is less than 0.5 mW. The sensor measures the oxygen content over the full range from 0.1% to 100%. The headspace of the packaging should be around 16 to 80 mm. All measurements by the device can be stored and exported for evaluation and archiving. Calibration is performed once per year. For more information, visit https://www.wittgas.com.