Fig. 1 showed that OS decreased headspace O2 content sharply over the first 24 h and continued to mop up the remaining O2 to below0.01% at a slower rate over the following 24 h. The initial 24 h O2-scavenging rates could be fitted with polynomial and exponential equations with R2 between 0.955 and 0.999 (Table 2). The information helps predicting the lag time required to reduce headspace oxygen down to 0.01%. This lag time is the important information in choosing preservation or active packaging system for highly perishable food.