Oxygen is the major cause of deterioration for the foods that are sensitive towards it.

Its presence further leads to growth of mold, mildew and microorganisms in the product that causes further degradation of the product.

Due to failures in the packaging process, presence of oxygen is generally found in food packages, such as mixture of gases containing oxygen residues, or inefficient vacuum. Vacuum packaging has been widely used to eliminate oxygen in the package prior to sealing. However, the oxygen that permeates from the outside environment into the package through the packaging material cannot be removed by this method. Therefore, incorporation of oxygen absorber sachets into the packaging of the product is important.

An oxygen absorber packets works at the available moisture in the packaged food and the trapped air during packaging causes the iron in the absorber to turn to rust, which then reduces the presence of oxygen, this process is called “oxidation.” This transition in oxygen content creates a higher concentration of nitrogen, which is better for long term shelf life of the packaged food item.