What is E948?

peasypod

Oxygen. http://www.food-info.net/uk/e/e948.htm Aug 16 06, 1:29 AM

zbeckabee

Here is a fairly extensive listing of "E numbers." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:E_numbers Aug 16 06, 7:58 AM

niale

Why is oxygen called E948? Aug 16 06, 7:27 PM

Brainyblonde

Abbreviation E948 1. (E number) oxygen when used as a packaging gas http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/E948 Packaging gases in food are inert gases employed to occupy space in packaging. If ordinary air is used, this may encourage microbial growth or oxidation of the food. http://www.chemsoc.org/ExemplarChem/entries/2001/anderson/packaginggases.htm#1 Aug 16 06, 7:37 PM

jdr18148

Brainyblonde, Oxygen is not an inert gas. Aug 18 06, 6:56 PM

Baloo55th

Well, that's a Royal Society of Chemistry site she's quoting.... i couldn't see why anyone would use oxygen for packaging until I looked at http://www.food-info.net/uk/e/e948.htm If you use it for vegetables, it will stop the vegetable trying to grow, as carbon dioxide is needed for that. (Plants take in carbon dioxide in the day, and put out oxygen at night.) Oxygen should give no reaction with plant material (unless the plant material is heated to quite an extent, that is). I would have thought nitrogen would be just as good for this job, though. Aug 19 06, 11:36 AM