Why Potato Chip Bags Are Filled With Nitrogen Gas

Each of us who has ever enjoyed potato chips has noticed that the package is almost half empty. “There are very few treats in such a big bag,” is how we tend to complain in these situations. But everything has an explanation.

Today at 5-Minute Crafts we found out the reason behind this.

Composition

Let’s start by finding out which gas is used to fill the package. The air we breathe contains oxygen and a lot of impurities, including water vapor, which can cause rapid spoilage of the product. That’s why packages with chips are filled with nitrogen gas instead of air. The gas itself comes from a natural origin and it is absolutely harmless in this situation.

Reasons

There are several reasons why potato chips bags are filled with nitrogen gas.

• Protection from bacteria. Bacteria need oxygen to live and multiply, but if all the oxygen is removed and replaced with another gas, this won’t happen. This means that mold and other unpleasant things won’t appear on the potato chips.
• Protection from moisture. Water is another foe of crispy chips. Nitrogen displaces water vapor, and when we open the package, we experience the chips as tasty and fresh as they were immediately after preparation.
• Maintaining their structure. Finally, nitrogen helps chips get to the store shelves and not be broken because it acts as a shock absorber. If not for the nitrogen, potato chips would arrive to buyers as crumbs.

Amount

It’s impossible to name the precise amount of chips or nitrogen in each package, as these indicators can differ between different companies and in different package sizes. However, when buying a product, try to find a phrase on the package saying the pure weight of the product and you’ll know for sure how many ounces of chips you’re buying for the declared price — even if the package looks incredibly huge.