The Plant-based Food Research Group of the University of Zaragoza has certified in a study it has carried out that these new containers preserve food better and for longer.
The main novelty is a new closure system that allows part of the air inside the container to be expelled, this way reducing food oxidation.
Araven’s new airtight containers benefit from improved labelling and include two new ColorClips to reinforce food identification and daily food management.
Araven’s star product for the food service industry has been on the market for 30 years. Last year alone more than two million containers were sold worldwide.
(Thursday, May 16 2019).- The Aragonese firm Araven, leader in equipment for the food service industry, has once again revolutionized the industry with its new range of airtight food containers, which incorporate new, exclusive improvements in product hygiene, safety and handling. The main feature of these new airtight containers is an innovative closure system that a study by the Plant-based Food Research Group of the University of Zaragoza (GIAOVE) has shown to prolong the useful life of food by up to 25 % more than current container closure systems.
Araven is the benchmark brand for food service professionals, with its wide range of differential products to equip cold stores and kitchens in all types of establishments. Its star product and the one most widely used is Araven airtight containers – formerly called ColorClip – which have been on the market for more than 30 years and can be found in the best professional kitchens. Last year alone more than two million were sold worldwide. By reinventing one of its most demanded products, the company has demonstrated once again that innovation is one of its hallmarks.
Araven’s new range offers airtight containers with GastroNorm measurements, designed especially for food service professionals. Their design includes numerous advantageous features for chefs; but the main outstanding characteristic is a lid that allows a certain vacuum to be formed inside the container by simply pressing down from the centre, which reduces food oxidation and guarantees total airtightness, extending the duration of the product stored inside. As the company’s slogan says : “They preserve food better and for longer”.
The effectiveness of this innovative closure has been demonstrated by GIAOVE in an analysis that compared Araven’s new containers to those of the same company before introducing this innovation. Differences in microbiological, physical and sensory aspects, such as the texture or smell of the stored foods were analyzed and, as highlighted in the conclusions, the new container “obtains the best scores for all the attributes analyzed”.
The improvements in this new generation of Araven airtight containers also include labelling and control of the stored product. Manuel Rodríguez, Head of Marketing for Araven’s Food Service Industry Unit, stresses the guarantee of correct food preservation, “a dual objective is met: to preserve food with guarantees in terms of health and hygiene and to conserve all the food’s organoleptic properties, this way reducing waste levels and deterioration, which in turn represents considerable cost savings for food service professionals”.
A GREAT HELP IN DAILY WORK
The enhanced airtightness offered by the new design has been sought while also ensuring its maximum functionality for daily professional use, which is the hallmark of Araven’s products. The double lip on the lid with an air-expel channel allows closure by simply pressing down on the centre of the lid towards the air outlet. A handy tab makes for easy opening when the product is required again.
also been introduced in the permanent label or the identifying colour system (ColorClip). Araven created its integrated label fifteen years ago. It is incorporated in the container as a simple and clear way of recording essential data to identify the food stored inside, to ensure Good Hygiene Practices and comply with Traceability Regulations. Simply use Araven’s marker to write down the preparation date, expiry date or origin of the food on the label. This system does not require sticking and peeling off paper labels and dos not leave any residues after washing the airtight container in the dishwasher.
A new improved label is presented now, with a design that provides more space for the product description and more information in the label fields, in combination with the ColorClip system that allows the quick, error-free identification and classification of multiple product categories and criteria, this way facilitating food management in the establishments in which they are used.
The colour clips to mark each container and their lid have been increased from five to seven. White and brown have been added to the existing range (yellow, blue, purple, red and green). This number enables preparations to be sorted by each day of the week.
The previously established function of the colours is to differentiate by type of food in order to avoid cross-contaminations in professional kitchens. The new ColorClips allow professionals to mark containers for dairy products (white clip) and prepared meat and cold cuts (brown clip), joining the groups that already exist (blue for fish, green for vegetables, etc.). Depending on the requirements and interests of each establishment, it is also possible to see at a glance work areas, operating lines, responsible workers, food allergens ….
In addition, Araven airtight containers comply with all the European regulations on health and hygiene and are certified by the National Sanitation Foundation. They are made in polypropylene that is free of BPA, bisphenol A, which is a component that is banned in countries such as France due to its possible toxic effects. The containers have an estimated useful life of more than ten years, they withstand temperatures of between 95ºC and -40ºC and are made of 100% recyclable raw materials.
STUDY DATA
The effectiveness of the new airtight containers has been demonstrated in the laboratories of the University of Zaragoza where preservation of a highly perishable product, raw chicken breast fillet, has been examined. In the experiment carried out a batch of this meat was divided into four airtight containers: two with the old closure system, in 1.1 and 1.8 litre capacities, and the other two containers, of the same size, with the new closure system.
The four containers were kept refrigerated for one week during which changes in microbial population and colour were analyzed and a group of evaluators assessed the overall appearance of the samples. The conclusions showed that the new closure “represents 25% more time for this type of food”.
The analysis revealed the advantages of the air-expel closure, which not only guarantees the healthiness of food, but also other aspects, such as appearance and juiciness, that are fundamental in all professional kitchens.
Manuel Rodríguez emphasizes that this study shows “that a good storage container is an essential item in kitchens. The properties of good food will deteriorate if they are not kept in the right container”, also stating that Araven’s products “enable food to be kept with the total guarantee of health and hygiene and avoiding harmful deterioration”. Furthermore the container design facilitates such essential aspects in the food service industry as prevention of cross-contamination.
