Aptar Food + Beverage, part of the AptarGroup (Atlanta, Georgia) and a leader in a broad range of premium active packaging systems and processing equipment for fresh-cut fruits, vegetables and seafood, has launched InvisiShield technology – a first-of-its-kind, anti-pathogenic packaging solution seamlessly integrated into sealed packages to protect fresh-cut produce from harmful pathogens such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Easy to incorporate into existing or new produce packaging lines, the technology mitigates pathogen growth without negatively impacting the product. “We’re extremely proud of our technology and the tremendous amount of work that has led to this launch,” said John Belfance, President of Aptar CSP Technologies. “We have material-science expertise that we are applying to food-safety solutions at a critical time when consumers are demanding better and healthier food-packaging outcomes.”
InvisiShield leverages 3-Phase Activ-Polymer technology, patented by Aptar CSP Technologies (Auburn, Alabama – a division of the AptarGroup) with over 20 years of expertise in material science. The 3-Phase Activ-Polymer technology is currently used by leading global brands with a wide range of products to extend shelf life, maintain freshness and improve efficacy in industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and food safety. InvisiShield technology is activated within sealed packages to safely and effectively release a specially formulated amount of an anti-pathogenic agent into the fresh-cut produce’s packaging environment that is undetectable to the consumer and dissipates from the package within 24-48 hours of activation. This mechanism significantly reduces pathogens that may have been introduced during the supply chain, without coming into contact with the product itself. The result is a final intervention step that also reduces cross-contamination within the sealed package.
Third-party validated studies demonstrated InvisiShield technology to be up to 99.9% effective against the most common food-borne pathogens – Pathogenic E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Human norovirus, Hepatitis A, Shigella, Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio vulnificus, Geotrichum candidum, Feline calcivirus and Rotavirus. As a food-safety assurance device, InvisiShield meets a need for heightened defense against food-borne illnesses. The Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) solution offers outbreak mitigation without negatively impacting product organoleptics. “I’m very excited about the potential this technology has to change the way the food industry thinks about food safety,” said Angela Morgan, Ph.D. and Director of Business Development and Food Safety Solutions for Aptar Food + Beverage – Food Protection. “We are taking a small, but game-changing step in reshaping the food-safety paradigm.” Aptar continues to look for strategic partnerships to expand access to this technology and bring it closer to the consumer.” Interested partners should contact Morgan at angela.morgan@aptar.com for more information.