When leaks occur in pet food packaging, it can alter the smell and taste, and potentially cause contamination. Pets can detect the change and will reject the food if they sense a risk. Oxipack leak detection technology, available through Heat and Control, helps mitigate the risk.
Every week pet owners diligently purchase their pet’s preferred food choice paying close attention to flavour preferences. Worldwide around 800 million fur babies eagerly await their next meal but frustratingly, many will turn their noses up at a previously loved meal option.
Unbeknown to pet owners, tiny air leaks in the pet food packaging has changed the smell and taste of the pet food. Thanks to an excellent sense of smell, their pet has detected a potentially stale or contaminated food product in order to protect its sensitive stomach.
Leak detection specialist Oxipack says it understands the vital role of leak detection to ensure the quality of pet food and guarantee shelf life.
Many pet foods are vacuum sealed to stabilise the amount of moisture in their packages because oxygen can spoil nutritious fats. The maximum moisture in a can of pet food is typically around 77 per cent. The big question for pet food producers; is the packaging leak free?
Leak detection that doesn’t damage packaging
The disruption caused by the discovery of leaking packaging is every manufacturer’s worst nightmare. Testing for leaks is generally a manual process conducted with random sample testing. Production lines are usually shut down while the problem is investigated, and packages are tested and re-packaged, costing companies time and money due to production down time.
The methodology behind the Oxipack range of non-destructive leak detection solutions is innovative: through the use of two rubber membranes, a deep vacuum is created in the equipment’s test chamber, allowing for any pressure changes due to leaks to be detected, via a small measuring space which is created around the packaging. This method allows accurate detection of both large and small leaks, without any damage to packaging, according to Oxipack.
Pet food producers can use the Oxipack Stationery Leak Tester (SLT) to detect leaks in all types of pet food packaging. The company's solutions are suitable for both wet and dry pet foods and even oversized pet food packages of up to 25kg, detecting leaks down to 25 µm.
By choosing Oxipack, the company says, pet food producers are safeguarding their products and complying with Lean Six Sigma process checking at the same time.
Oxipack is sold exclusively by Heat and Control in Australia and New Zealand and many packaging companies from around the world trust Oxipack for the most accurate leak detection solutions.
