Is There CO2 In My Cheese?

Cheese… there aren’t too many people who don’t like cheese unless you are my 6-year-old son who swears he doesn’t like it… 😕

But as much as we love the stuff, we’ve all been guilty of throwing away perfectly good cheese just because it no longer looks appetizing. Gases are used in our food packaging to extend the life of the product, sometimes by three to four weeks, it also helps the food to look fresher for longer. This is called Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). Within the cheese packaging industry; carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main gas used for hard cheese, whereas soft cheeses use a mixture of CO2 (20-40%) and nitrogen (N2).

“In general, hard cheeses that do not have a high water content are susceptible to attack by moulds, while moisture cheeses can be affected by bacteria. Also, the fats of some cheeses are prone to oxidation by oxygen in the air, which can make the cheese become rancid.”

Reference from Modified Atmosphere Packaging.

We all love that fresh smell of cheese as it comes out of the packaging (except my 5-year-old!) and thanks to MAP we get to keep that freshness for longer.

I recently visited a cheese factory where there was a very serious incident due to a leak of carbon dioxide (CO2) which had caused harm and endangered the lives of the people who worked there. They wanted to discuss what Analox could offer to keep their workers safe whilst working with carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It was really surprising to find a lack of awareness within this industry of the dangers associated with CO2.

Analox are committed to helping increase awareness of the dangers of CO2 in this industry. As an industry-leading provider of CO2 sensors and gas alarms, we have the perfect solution available to help prevent more lives being endangered. The Ax60+ monitors both CO2 & O2 depletion caused by N2. Due to the recent incident, it has been highlighted that more companies using gases for MAP should be protecting themselves and their staff against the dangers caused by CO2 and N2.

For more information on our Ax60+ multi-gas monitor and how we can help you please check here.

By Regional Account Manager, Matt Lambert.