Case study extending the shelf life of traditional sweets with oxygen absorbers
Introduction
Traditional sweets, especially Indian confections such as laddus, kajukatli, and barfi, are a vital part of cultural celebrations and your day to day life. Nevertheless, their high moisture content, dairy base, and use of natural ingredients make them extremely inclined to spoilage from microbial growth, oxidation, and staleness. This smaller shelf life, often just a few days at ambient temperatures, presents a significant challenge for sweet shops and manufacturers, predominantly those who wish to expand their reach from a long-distance shipping or export.
This case study explores a modern food-safe packaging for sweets using oxygen absorbers.
Problem Statement
An Indian milk-based sweet company that specializes in traditional sweets of a high quality had a critical problem: their products remained fresh only for 1-3 weeks. This limited their capacities to meet large orders for festivals, expand to new geographical markets, and decrease waste of food. A company specializing in traditional sweets packaging approached us with a packaging challenge to support its large-scale market expansion. The company was determined not to use artificial preservatives to keep the product "clean label" and attract the health-conscious shopper. The key elements for spoilage were:
Oxidation: Fats and oils present in ingredients such as ghee, khoa (milk solids) and nuts would oxidize, causing rancidity and an off-taste.
Microbial Growth: The high level of moisture and organic dairy base with no preservatives, was a perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria growth causing visible fungus and spoilage.
Stale and Texture Loss: These sweets lost their tender texture and fragrance, dried and hardened as they were exposed to the air.
The company required a solution to overcome these challenges, including Packaging for laddus, kajukatli and barfi and prevent fungus in sweets and Keep sweets fresh longer without sacrifice traditional sweets’ taste or quality.
The Answer: Using Oxygen Absorber Active Packaging
For the resolution of these problems, we implemented an active pack aging approach with oxygen absorbers. Unlike passive packaging that is only a barrier, active packaging interacts/challenges the internal atmosphere of the containers for sweets.
What are Oxygen Absorbers?
Oxygen absorbers (also known as oxygen scavengers) are tiny food-safe packets that contain a blend of powdered iron, activated carbon and salt. Isolate the iron powder if kept in an airtight container, or contain it for sweet packaging solutions. This reaction lowers the concentration of O 2 to <0.01%, resulting in an anaerobic state.
How They Work and Why They Protect Foods from Spoilage
How to increase the shelf life of Indian sweets is a question of balancing traditional preparation methods with modern food science and strategic packaging solutions. The primary spoilage factors are the high fat, sugar, and moisture content, which make sweets susceptible to microbial growth, oxidation, and staleness. Addressing these issues requires a multi-faceted approach beyond a single food solution like OxySorb- oxygen absorbers.
Oxidation Reduction: The main role of absorber is to remove the oxygen. In doing so, it stops the oxidizing action that makes fats and oils spoil. This helps retain the original taste and fragrance of the sweet for a longer duration and is the need of the hour for freshness maintenance in milk-based sweets".
Preventing Microbial Growth: Most of the micro-organisms that cause spoilage, such as microfungi (mould) and aerobic bacteria, need oxygen to survive and grow. By removing oxygen, the absorbers prevent the growth of these microbes that cause fungus in sweets and greatly extend the shelf life.
Preserving Sensory Attributes: Without oxygen, the sweets retain their original texture and colour. Sweets which would otherwise tend to dry out or become discoloured from oxygen exposure are soft, colourful and inviting and guarantee that the consumers experience a freshly made product.
Implementation and Results
We started by testing the solution on some of our most popular sweets, such as laddus, kaju katli, and barfi, to evaluate the effectiveness of oxygen absorbers.
The following steps were taken:
Packaging Re-design: We replaced traditional cardboard sweet boxes to multi-layer barrier films and MAP (modified atmosphere packaging). These new films were eventually developed to become practically impervious to oxygen and moisture, offering a perfect environment for the absorbers to perform in.
Making the Right Absorber Selection: We offered a packaging solutions to select the size and volume of the oxygen absorber packets to be used for the different types of sweet boxes. The absorber size is based on the contents of the package and the size of the bag.
Storage and Handling Conditions:
Consideration must be given to the storage environment, such as temperature and humidity, which can impact the effectiveness of oxygen absorbers. Choosing absorbers designed to perform optimally under expected conditions will provide better preservation results.
Test and Validation: A controlled test was conducted with the conventional sweet packaging. Sweets were kept at room and refrigerated temperatures.
Normal packaging: The sweets started to go bad (harden and grow mold) in 1-2 weeks.
Oxygen Absorber Packaging -The sweets were still fresh at 6 months and some up to 8 months.
In short, the shelf life was greatly extended, well beyond the intended scope of the research. Not only did the sweets last longer, they continued to taste, quality, and fresh over the prolonged period.
The longer shelf life was finally attained after several attempts. We conducted stability experiments at several times (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 8 months) to keep an eye on the product's sensory and microbiological attributes. This included testing for the product's moisture level, microbiological growth, taste, texture, and general quality.
Key Benefits of Our New Packaging Solution
Using oxygen absorbers as a sweet packaging solution had its’ advantages for the confectionery industry:
Broader Market Reach: The prolonged shelf life of confectioneries enabled the company delivering their products without the fear of spoilage in far-off national and international destinations, meeting export packaging for traditional sweets requirements.
Low Waste: The significant reduction in spoilage led to a decrease in product returns and discarded goods, improving overall profitability and sustainability.
Trust: With always fresh, always delicious product, the company was able to develop a “trust” factor that consumers began making decisions mostly on the brand.
Naturally Preserved: The oxygen absorber offered natural preservative alternatives that corresponded with the brand values of the business and was in tune with the rising consumer demand for products without artificial preservatives.
To Summarize
The case study demonstrates that a combination of oxygen absorbers and good airtight packaging is a far superior and innovative way to extend the shelf life of Indian sweets. This new approach provides protection against the vulnerabilities of these conventional treats: those to moisture, oxidation, and microbial spoilage, which are at least in its design, an oxygen limited setup. For all confectionery businesses, using oxygen absorbers is necessary in order to maintain freshness, keep the food safe and using them helps the segment to achieve business growth in the local domestic and global markets. It demonstrates how small innovation in sweet storage and shipping solutions has the power to upend traditional industries and extend the shelf life of beloved cultural foods for generations. Click video review for OxySorb for sweet packaging
Let us know further the Role of Oxygen in Food Spoilage
How Oxygen Affects Traditional Sweets
Primary spoilage factor: Oxygen acts as the main culprit behind deterioration in traditional sweets, directly impacting their quality and safety
Multiple degradation pathways: When sweets get exposed to air, various harmful processes kick in simultaneously, creating a cascade of spoilage effects
Shelf life reduction: The presence of oxygen intensely shortens how long sweets remain fresh and consumable
The Oxidation Problem
Fat and oil breakdown: Oxygen attacks the fats and oils naturally present in sweets, causing them to turn rancid.
Off-flavor development: This chemical reaction creates unpleasant tastes that make sweets unpalatable to consumers
Texture changes: Oxidation doesn't just affect taste - it also alters the original texture that makes traditional sweets appealing
Safety concerns: Beyond sensory issues, oxidized fats can potentially pose health risks when consumed
Microbial Growth Issues
Aerobic microorganism activity: Oxygen provides the perfect environment for harmful molds and bacteria to flourish
Visible deterioration: These microbes create obvious signs of spoilage that consumers can easily spot
Unpleasant odours: Bacterial and mold growth produces off-putting smells that signal the sweets have gone bad
Health risks: Microbial contamination can lead to foodborne illnesses, especially concerning for vulnerable populations
Why Traditional Sweets Are Vulnerable?
Natural ingredient composition: Most traditional sweets rely on natural components without synthetic preservatives
Minimal processing: The traditional preparation methods often leave sweets more susceptible to spoilage
Limited shelf stability: Without modern preservation techniques, these products have inherently shorter lifespans
The Solution: Oxygen Control
Packaging innovation: Controlling oxygen levels within product packaging emerges as the most effective preservation strategy
Dual benefit approach: Limiting oxygen exposure tackles both oxidation and microbial growth simultaneously
Extended freshness: Proper oxygen management significantly prolongs the period sweets maintain their original quality
Waste reduction: By extending shelf life, oxygen control helps minimize food waste throughout the supply chain
Oxygen Absorbers as Game Changers
Simple implementation: These sachets offer a straightforward solution that doesn't require complex manufacturing changes
High effectiveness: Despite their simplicity, oxygen absorbers deliver remarkable results in preservation
Cost-effective preservation: They provide an economical way to extend shelf life without major infrastructure investments
Consumer safety: By preventing spoilage, these absorbers help ensure traditional sweets remain safe for consumption longer
