There have been more than 100 different Dorito variants over the last 50 years. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were first created by a janitor. And Lay’s chips were first sold out of the back of a car. As you can see these companies have come a long way since they were created. And yet there's still one thing that unites these large brands, and that is the ridiculous amount of air that's found inside each bag of chips. And if you enjoy snacking, you probably know the disappointment of opening that new taut chip bag, only to satisfyingly pull it open and have half a bag full of air escape. Leaving you with what are seemingly crumbs. But why is this, is it simply greed, or is there a greater reason behind it? In this article we will use science to find out why these large corporations insist on filling their bags with air instead of chips.
First I was curious, how much air is actually in these bags? Well, by using water displacement, a scientific method used to find volume by having water push out a volume equal to that of its own, we are able to easily determine this. A study by a New York City-based cabinet company found that Cheetos and Ruffles had the largest air-to-chip ratio. A bag of Cheetos has a 41% to 59% air ratio. That's an absurd amount of wasted space. So I wondered, why would over half a bag of chips need to be air? Then I thought of packaging and I realized that the air might just be acting as a cushion for the fragile chips, that way they don’t all come broken.
But the thought of packing led me to think about the actual manufacturing. At what point in the production process does the air get in there? If it's even air that's inside those bags. Well, upon further inspection, the “air” in these bags isn't just air. It’s actually a nitrogenous gas that preserves flavour. It works because the nitrogen displaces the oxygen and the moisture that may otherwise oxidise the potato chips making them stale. I find it crazy that all this thought and effort was put into small bags of thin slices of deep fried potatoes. But I guess if it makes the consumers come back for more, then it's worth it. In the words of LaysⓇ, “Bet you can’t eat just one.”
So next time you open a crisp bag of chips and see all that empty space, you’ll know why it exists. While of course part of this reason is corporate greed, after all, the less chips in a bag, the more money they make. But it's also nice to know that they’re looking out for us by providing good cushioning as well as a more fresh taste.
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