Tray Filling Line Manufacturers
Connect with verified tray filling line manufacturers on Towobo. Source automated tray fill lines, MAP tray seal machines, and complete tray fill-and-seal packaging system installations for ready meal, prepared food, and fresh product production.
Tray filling lines — integration and components
A tray filling line assembles individual food product components into retail or food service trays and seals them. A complete line typically includes: tray denesting machine (separates individual trays from a stack and places them on the line conveyor at the required pitch); component filling stations (a combination of manual placement, depositors, and portioning machines that place each component into the tray in sequence — solid components placed first, liquids and sauces deposited on top or last); inline weigher or checkweigher (verifies the total fill weight before sealing); tray sealer (heat-seals a film lid to the tray; MAP tray sealers flush the tray with a controlled gas mixture before sealing to extend shelf life); labelling machine (applies product label to the sealed tray top or bottom, or to a belly-band); metal detector or X-ray inspection; and secondary packing (multipack assembly, retail shelf-ready display, or bulk carton packing). The line layout, conveyor speed, and number of filling stations are determined by the target throughput and the number of components in the meal recipe.
Frequently asked questions
What MAP gas compositions are used for chilled ready meals?
MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) for chilled ready meals uses a combination of nitrogen (N₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sometimes oxygen (O₂) to create an atmosphere inside the sealed tray that inhibits microbial growth and slows oxidative deterioration. For meals containing cooked meat where red colour retention is not a requirement, a typical MAP composition is 30–40% CO₂ and 60–70% N₂ (no oxygen) — CO₂ inhibits the growth of spoilage organisms, and N₂ acts as a filler gas. For meals with raw meat or whole fish, a proportion of oxygen may be included to maintain the surface appearance of the protein. For meals with only vegetables, dairy, and starch, a high nitrogen atmosphere minimises oxidation. The specific MAP composition for each product is validated by shelf life microbiological testing — do not assume a single MAP composition is optimal for all products.
How is seal integrity verified on a MAP tray sealing line?
Seal integrity is critical for MAP products — a poor seal allows gas exchange with the ambient air, reducing shelf life and potentially allowing contamination. Seal integrity verification methods include: visual inspection of the seal (for gross defects); peel-force testing (a destructive test on a sample of sealed trays — the force required to peel the lid film is measured; below a minimum peel force indicates a weak seal); bubble emission test (the sealed tray is submerged in water under a slight vacuum — bubbles from the seal indicate a leak); and vacuum/pressure decay testing (the tray is placed in a chamber, a small pressure or vacuum is applied, and the rate of pressure change is measured — leaks cause detectable pressure change). For all MAP lines, a documented seal integrity monitoring programme using one or more of these methods is standard practice and is typically required by food safety standards.