IN Brief:
- Magic has ordered an Andritz eXcelle production line incorporating integrated airlaid forming technology.
- The line will manufacture absorbent pads for meat, fish, fruit, and other foods that release liquid during storage.
- Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, with capacity and product performance both set to increase.
ANDRITZ will supply Italian absorbent-material specialist Magic with an eXcelle food-pad production line incorporating integrated airlaid forming technology.
Scheduled for commissioning during the first quarter of 2027 at Magic’s site in Oleggio, Italy, the equipment will support absorbent pads used beneath meat, seafood, fruit, and other products that release liquid during packing, distribution, and storage.
The engineered line combines technology from ANDRITZ Diatec and ANDRITZ Dan-Web. Airlaid forming creates a fibrous structure without the water-intensive web-forming stage used in conventional wetlaid processes, allowing fibres and functional powders to be distributed through a controlled porous layer.
Magic intends to combine that structure with its biodegradable superabsorbent powder, creating materials designed for rapid liquid uptake, strong retention, and low rewetting. The final property limits the return of captured fluid to the food surface when trays are stacked, transported, or compressed.
Absorbent pads perform a less conspicuous role than trays, films, labels, or closures, yet their failure becomes visible quickly. Free liquid can weaken presentation, interfere with pack seals, stain labels, increase leakage, and create conditions that are harder to manage throughout chilled distribution.
Meat and seafood packs place particularly high demands on absorption speed and holding capacity. Liquid released immediately after packing must be captured before it moves around the tray, while fluid retained later in shelf life should remain locked inside the pad during handling and display.
Material architecture determines whether those requirements remain balanced. Fibre composition, basis weight, pore structure, powder distribution, bonding, pad dimensions, and surface layers all affect uptake, capacity, stiffness, and rewetting. Increasing one performance measure can alter another, making application-specific testing essential.
The component must also run reliably through packing equipment. Pads may be supplied inside converted trays, inserted before filling, or handled through automated denesting and placement systems. Variation in flatness, dust, stiffness, or surface friction can cause stoppages even when laboratory absorption results are acceptable.
Connected packing lines leave less tolerance for inconsistent components because a problem at pad insertion can interrupt weighing, filling, sealing, inspection, case packing, and palletising downstream. Equipment suppliers are increasingly managing those functions as integrated systems, making repeatable material behaviour part of line efficiency.
Biodegradable superabsorbent powders add another qualification step. Environmental performance cannot be assessed from the active material alone, since fibres, binders, films, adhesives, inks, and the complete tray construction determine whether the finished pack is recyclable, compostable, recoverable, or destined for residual waste.
Food contamination complicates disposal further. A pad may be technically compostable but enter a collection system without access to industrial composting, while an absorbent component attached to a recyclable tray can obstruct separation. Pack design and disposal guidance must therefore reflect the waste infrastructure available in the sales market.
Removing the pad altogether is not always a credible material-reduction measure. Where liquid control protects hygiene, shelf life, seal integrity, and presentation, elimination can transfer environmental impact into higher spoilage and product loss. Reducing pad weight or improving absorption efficiency can offer a better balance than deleting a functional component.
Airlaid production gives Magic scope to adjust fibre blends, powder loading, basis weight, and product architecture for different foods. A berry punnet, poultry tray, red-meat pack, and seafood container release different volumes of liquid and encounter different storage conditions, so one heavily specified pad may use more material than several tailored designs.
Capacity growth also suggests that demand remains strong for specialised absorbent packaging despite broader pressure to simplify pack structures. Chilled food producers continue to require components that protect product quality through automated packing and long distribution chains, while packaging suppliers are expected to reduce material and improve end-of-life options at the same time.
Commissioning will involve qualification across raw-material intake, web formation, powder dosing, cutting, conversion, and finished-product testing. Customers will then need commercial line trials and shelf-life validation before replacing an established pad specification.
Once operational, the eXcelle line should give Magic a larger technical and manufacturing platform for food pads. Output speed will be only one measure of success; consistent absorption, smooth packing-line performance, lower rewetting, and credible waste outcomes will decide whether the new materials gain broad adoption.
