Vacuum skin packaging (VSP) has become the standard for premium packaging of fish and seafood products in retail. The skin film that perfectly adapts to the product shape eliminates drip, protects visual quality and doubles or triples shelf life compared to traditional tray packaging with overwrap film.
How VSP works for fish
In vacuum skin packaging the product is placed on a rigid or semi-rigid tray. The skin film (EVA or high-barrier ionomer) is heated to 160-180°C and draped over the product using vacuum created from the tray's underside. The film perfectly adapts to every surface: scales, fins, irregular fillet shape.
The result is a pack with no residual air that completely adheres to the product, with no space for drip migration. Fresh sea bass fillet shelf life goes from 6-8 days in traditional tray to 14-18 days in VSP, at the same storage temperature (0-2°C).
- Skin film: EVA, ionomer (Surlyn), PA/EVOH for high barrier
- Tray: expanded PS, CPET, paperboard, white PP
- Film temperature: 160-180°C for optimal adhesion
- Fresh fillet shelf life: 6-8 days tray → 14-18 days VSP
- Smoked salmon shelf life: 21-28 days tray → 42-56 days VSP
VSP advantages over traditional packaging
The main advantage of VSP for fish is elimination of drip that accumulates in traditional trays, causing aesthetic deterioration, odour and handling difficulties at point of sale. In VSP the liquid remains adsorbed in the muscle tissue through film pressure, improving presentation and reducing returns.
The second advantage is presentation: the transparent adherent film showcases product freshness, flesh colour and scale brilliance. Consumers perceive VSP as synonymous with premium quality, allowing higher price positioning.
- Drip elimination: no visible liquid in pack
- Extended shelf life: +100-150% vs traditional tray
- Premium presentation: transparent adherent film showcases product
- Reduced retail returns: less product discarded for aesthetic deterioration
- Waste reduction: longer shelf life reduces food waste
Fish products ideal for VSP
VSP is ideal for high unit value seafood products with irregular shape that benefit from skin presentation: sea bass, sea bream, trout, fresh and smoked salmon fillets, prawns and langoustines, squid and cuttlefish. Not suitable for products in brine or products with very irregular surfaces that could puncture the thin film.
- Fresh fish fillets: sea bass, sea bream, trout, turbot, sole
- Salmon: fresh, smoked, marinated in steak or fillet
- Crustaceans: prawns, langoustines, lobster (without protruding claws)
- Molluscs: cleaned squid and cuttlefish, baby octopus
- NOT suitable: mussels, clams, products in liquid brine
VSP machines for fish: tray sealers and thermoformers
VSP machines for fish are tray sealers or thermoformers equipped with a heated upper forming dome that applies skin film under vacuum. The machine must have precise film heating (±2°C) and a graduated vacuum pressure profile to adapt to complex shapes without breaking the film.
Thermoformers with integrated skin module (such as EMA Pack's STF range) allow producing the tray and applying skin in a single station, optimising costs for high-volume production. Skin tray sealers are more flexible for multi-format with pre-formed trays.
- Skin tray sealer: flexible, multi-format, < 800 trays/hour
- Thermoformer with skin module: up to 2,000 trays/hour
- Film heating: ±2°C for uniform adhesion
- Compatible trays: PS, CPET, paperboard, PP
- Format change: 20-45 minutes with dedicated tooling
Want to evaluate VSP for your fish products?
Contact us for technical tests with your product. We evaluate the optimal film, tray and machine best suited to your production volume.
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