Absorbent pads – with lots of different options, there can be more to them than meets the eye… so ask the experts!

ABSORBENCY is one of Sirane’s core strengths, and it is the area where the company began. Absorbent meat pads were one of the first products the company made and we still make them to this day.

Absorbent pads – sometimes known as soaker pads – are widely used in a range of foods. Look around the fresh food section of your local supermarket and you’ll often find them in the red meats, poultry (sometimes, and it may be low-level absorbent crepe), seafood and fruit punnets.

Their basic function varies, but in general terms they are there to absorb excess liquid/moisture, which would cause early degradation of the food. Whether it is the juice from the meat, or from berries, it’s preferable to soak it up.

In short, what looks a simple product increases the shelf-life of the food in question. And in some cases, that shelf-life extension can be pretty significant.

So what is an absorbent pad made of, and what are the options available?

In general terms, you’re talking cellulose (paper) and a plastic-film. We can offer a wide variety of combinations, based on these two materials alone. And we can also offer options such as perforations (to make the absorption process easier). We can also offer a range of colours, most commonly black, white or red.

Sirane can also offer Xtra absorbent pads, containing superabsorbent fibres.

We can also offer compostable materials and even a pure paper pad (recyclable), so you have got plenty of decisions to make and we may ask lots of questions…

One of those questions will be how much absorbency you require. Often people don’t know – and if this is the case we will happily advise based on your intended use. But we can offer anything from 800cc/m2 through to 26,000 cc/m2.

And one of the main differences between Sirane is that we make to order. Which means we will make the exact absorbent pad you need, for the product you sell. This includes sizes, as well as absorbency levels – it is tailored to your requirements. You won't pay for absorbency you don't need.

But can the humble absorbent pad add any more value to the retailer? Or course it can… we can offer options such as ovenable absorbent pads, odour absorbent pads, ethylene absorbent pads or anti-microbial absorbent pads.

With ovenable absorbent pads, for example, they offer the same function as a standard absorbent pad within the packaging, but the food can be cooked with the absorbent pad left in place, which can improve the quality of the food.

Odour-absorbent pads can help retailers reduce the amount of returns they get – as they can help combat confinement odour, a smell which can build up within vacuum packed meat in particular, which wrongly leads customers to believe it is off, prompting them to return the meat to the supermarket.

And ethylene absorbent pads can improve the shelf-life of certain fruits, in cases where ethylene is a significant factor in degradation of the fruit.

Anti-microbial pads can be used with a range of products, including meat – where they can help extend shelf-life – and cut-fruit. Shelf-life studies with cut fruit, using an anti-microbial pad, have shown shelf-life increase of several days.

So in summary, the humble absorbent pad can be a little bit more exciting, and contribute more within the packaging, than perhaps many people realise.

And, to finish – and to answer a question Google seems to be asked quite a lot – no, if you’ve accidentally cooked your absorbent pad it won’t do you any harm. In fact, you could eat it and it wouldn’t harm you.

And - as is also regularly asked - it won’t harm your dog either!

MORE ON OUR DRI-FRESH ABSORBENT PAD RANGE CAN BE FOUND HERE