Mei Wei Ltd (O2 Zero)

An oxygen absorber is a small packet of material used to prolong the shelf life of food. They are used in food packaging to prevent food colour change, to stop oils in foods from becoming rancid, and also prevent the growth of oxygen-using aerobic microorganisms such as fungi.

Once a product has been sealed with the oxygen absorber inside, the absorption process takes several hours to complete. At the end of this period, the level of oxygen within the packaging has been reduced from the 20.9% normally present in air to less than 0.01%.

The absorber continues to work both on the oxygen present within the food itself and on any which permeates through the packaging until the food is used. As well as preventing bacterial growth the O2 absorber eliminates the oxidation which can adversely affect the flavour, odour, and colour of a product.