Why Is There So Much Air In Potato Chip Packets?

Popping open a handbag of potato chips to find its contents are 90 percent air travel can be a get down and humbling experience , but there are good reasons why your packets of snacks can sometimes resemble an inflated pillow ( or at least that ’s what Big Potato wants you to think ) .

It ’s usually said that packets of chips contain a lot of air to help protect them from untimely quelling during transit , play a bit like an airbag . Furthermore , the front of gas in the bag helps to accommodate for changes in atmospheric insistency , which is important if the food is being transported via aeroplane ( or , presumably , space rockets ) .

The base are not fill with atmospheric air from the mill , but nitrogen . Left discover to the clear air and atomic number 8 , white potato chips can promptly become soft and unappetizing , as you might mark if you leave a packet open overnight .

However , N helps forbid oxidation of the oils and starch in the fries , help to keep them fresh and crunchy for longer . This , queerly enough , has been scientifically validated bypeer - review study . Nitrogen is also a good selection because it ’s non - responsive , odorless , and safe to use in food packaging .

On the other side of the argument , there is some evidence that some white potato profiteer may be overfilling their packaging .

Henry Hargreaves , an creative person and solid food photographer , arise increasingly dismayed at the content of his processed snacks , so hold out a ( not - so - scientific ) experiment to see whether the airbag - like packaging was actually necessary .

jar horror : he come up that having an copiousness of petrol in the packet did not help to prevent price to the contents .

“ I assumed the tune would stop them breaking , but the reverse pass off . The one with the most melodic phrase also have the most breakage . I found when I vacuum - sealed them this was the most efficient way to enchant and handle them without breaking them , ” Hargreaves toldBBC Future .

Out of fright of reprisal from Big Potato , we could n’t possibly mull over on why bite manufacturers have n’t reach the same findings as Hargreaves . However , there is at least one good ground why should reconsider their melodic phrase - pump policies .

“ For example , 86 out of every 100 trucks carrying Doritos do n’t need to be on the route . That ’s a bountiful carbon paper footprint , ” Hargreaves add together .