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In the global food industry, meat is one of the most valuable yet perishable products. Maintaining freshness, appearance, and flavor throughout the cold chain has long been a challenge.
According to European Food Research & Technology (2023), more than 20% of global meat loss is caused by poor packaging performance—resulting in oxidation, discoloration, and leakage.①
Thermoforming packaging technology provides an integrated solution—combining automation, hygiene, and long-lasting freshness—to help processors reduce waste and deliver high-quality products efficiently.
Thermoforming packaging machines automatically form, and seal packages from continuous rollstock film.The process includes heating, forming, sealing, and cutting—all in a continuous, hygienic, and automated operation.
This reduces manual handling, improves sealing integrity, and ensures consistent production quality.
Compared with traditional tray sealing or bag packaging, thermoforming systems offer:
Customizable depth and shape: adaptable to portion cuts, blocks, or sliced meat.
Superior seal quality: prevents oxygen ingress and leakage during cold-chain transport.
High automation: compatible with labeling, printing, and inspection modules.
High productivity: continuous forming and sealing enable faster cycle times and greater output efficiency.
According to Advanced Manufacturing Insights (2023), automation-driven thermoforming lines can improve overall packaging efficiency by more than 40% while cutting material usage by 10–15%.②
Removes air to create a high-barrier environment that prevents oxidation and microbial growth.
Typical applications: fresh cuts, marinated meats, and sausages.
Key benefits: extended shelf life, minimal purge loss, and compact pack presentation.
Replaces air with a protective gas mixture to balance freshness and color stability.
Commonly used for beef, lamb, poultry, and ready-to-cook dishes.
Benefits: preserves color, reduces spoilage, and maintains natural texture.
Studies show that MAP can extend the shelf life of chilled beef from 10–15 days to 30–45 days while maintaining color and tenderness.③
A top film tightly conforms to the product surface like a “second skin,” preventing liquid migration and providing a premium 3D retail display.
Ideal for premium products such as steaks, smoked meat, and retail-ready packs.
Benefits: enhances shelf appeal, prevents drip loss, and secures product during transport.
Research by Stella et al. (2018) confirmed that skin packaging maintains meat quality, reduces exudate formation, and extends shelf life effectively.④
Extended Shelf Life: up to 2–3× longer freshness through controlled sealing environments.
Improved Hygiene: minimal manual contact, enclosed and sanitary processing.
Premium Presentation: deep-draw forming highlights natural meat color and marbling.
Reduced Cold-Chain Loss: leak-proof design maintains pack stability and pressure balance.
Automation & Efficiency: continuous operation boosts productivity and consistency.
In large-scale meat processing, packaging must balance hygiene, automation, and cold-chain stability — not just shelf life.
Thermoforming packaging systems address these challenges through integrated forming and sealing, enabling processors to create customized tray designs directly from rollstock film.
This approach improves material utilization by 10–15%, enhances sealing precision, and supports continuous high-speed production.
For fresh meat and poultry, thermoforming technology delivers:
Flexible forming depth and shape — accommodating cuts of various sizes, from poultry portions to ribeye steaks.
Leak-proof sealing performance — preventing liquid leakage and deformation during cold-chain distribution.
Multi-function adaptability — allowing easy switching between vacuum, MAP, and skin packaging on a single machine.
By combining automation with precise forming control, thermoforming systems help meat processors achieve greater packaging consistency, improved hygiene standards, and reduced overall costs — supporting both industrial-scale production and retail-quality presentation.
Processed meat products such as sausages, hams, and bacon present unique packaging challenges.
High fat content, complex shapes, and oil residues can easily compromise sealing performance and shelf stability, while inconsistent manual packaging often results in leakage, oxidation, or uneven appearance.
Thermoforming packaging systems offer a reliable and automated solution for this category.
By forming trays directly from rollstock film and sealing them in a controlled environment, processors can ensure consistent packaging quality even for high-fat or irregularly shaped products.
Key advantages include:
Enhanced sealing precision — maintaining airtight integrity despite oil and moisture on the product surface.
Stable appearance and portion control — ensuring uniform thickness and pack shape for standardized retail presentation.
Reduced oxidation and spoilage — through vacuum or modified atmosphere packaging options that preserve aroma and color stability.
Automated efficiency — minimizing human handling while enabling continuous high-speed production.
With these features, thermoformer has become a preferred solution for large-scale producers of cured and ready-to-slice meat, offering improved hygiene, product protection, and brand presentation in both wholesale and retail channels.
Ready-to-eat and cooked meat products—such as roasted chicken, braised beef, or meal components for convenience dishes—require packaging that maintains freshness, flavor, and food safety throughout extended storage and distribution.
Conventional tray sealing or bag packaging often struggles to prevent liquid separation, oxidation, and microbial contamination, especially during long cold-chain transport.
Thermoforming packaging systems provide an integrated and hygienic solution tailored to the needs of modern RTE production.
The automated process forms, seals, and cuts each pack under controlled conditions, ensuring product integrity while meeting stringent hygiene standards.
Advantages for cooked and RTE applications include:
Reliable seal integrity — preventing leakage and cross-contamination during handling or reheating.
Compatibility with heat-resistant PP films — supporting pasteurization or microwave reheating for ready-meal convenience.
Moisture and flavor retention — through vacuum or MAP processes that minimize oxidation and texture degradation.
Efficient automation — continuous operation that synchronizes with filling and labeling systems for large-scale production.
Thermoforming packaging enables processors to deliver cooked meals that are safer, longer-lasting, and visually appealing—helping food manufacturers achieve higher operational efficiency while ensuring consistent consumer quality across retail and foodservice channels.
As a leading manufacturer with over 30 years of experience, Utien Pack provides fully customizable thermoforming packaging systems for food processors worldwide.
Our thermoforming solutions have been successfully applied across diverse food sectors:
Meat Processing: delivering high-efficiency MAP and vacuum solutions for large-scale meat plants, ensuring extended shelf life and reduced cold-chain losses.
Ready Meal Production: supporting central kitchens with automated thermoforming lines that enable consistent portion control, reliable sealing, and on-demand flexibility.
Dairy & Cheese Packaging: providing skin and flexible-film thermoforming systems that maintain product integrity and visual appeal during refrigeration and retail display.
Utien Pack’s thermoforming systems are now widely used in meat plants, central kitchens, and cold-chain logistics, delivering safe, efficient, and visually appealing packaging for global brands.
In modern meat processing, packaging is more than protection—it’s a system for quality preservation and brand expression.
With thermoforming packaging technology, processors can achieve consistent quality, longer shelf life, and stronger shelf presence while optimizing production efficiency.
Utien Pack will continue driving innovation to provide advanced, automated, and sustainable packaging solutions for the global meat industry.
Reference:
①PeakGas — How long is food shelf life extended by MAP.
（https://www.peakgas.com/Articles-and-News/article/MAP-shelf-life-extension）
②Milijasevic, B. et al. (2023). Effect of Vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Quality and Shelf Life of Gutted Rainbow Trout. Foods, MDPI.
（https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/19/3625）
③Czerwiński, K. et al. (2021). Modified Atmosphere Packaging and Food Quality: A Review. Coatings, MDPI.
（https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/11/12/1504）
④Fortune Business Insights (2023). Global Thermoform Packaging Market Size, Share & Trends to 2030.
（https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/thermoform-packaging-market-108736）
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