Where is compressed air used in food storage and packaging?
Nitrogen is often used in the storage and blanketing of foods and beverages, such as purging oxygen from bags of roasted coffee, a vital step in preventing oxidation affecting product quality and flavour while in transit and storage. Nitrogen can also be used in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP); the inert atmosphere in food packages is critical to ensure long shelf life.
Key Facts
- MAP is defined as packaging a perishable product in a modified form of the Earth’s natural atmosphere. The air inside a package is displaced and replaced with a protective gas (N2/CO2/Argon) to keep oxygen at controlled levels
- Oxygen and moisture in a package leads to bacterial growth and oxidation, which results in spoilage, poor product quality, and shortened shelf life
- Often work in unison with a vacuum as air is sucked out before being injected with gas
- Mix of gas is used - typically 70% N2 & 30% CO2
Foods That Can Benefit From MAP
- Snack foods such as potato crisps
- Nuts
- Meats, poultry, and fish
- Cooked meats, poultry, and fish
- Edible oils
- Coffee and tea
- Powdered milk
- Spices, pasta, and other dried products
- Breads
- Grated cheese and other dairy products
- Salad
- Fruits and vegetables
- Beverages
Benefits of MAP
• Preserving flavour, texture, taste, aroma, and nutritional value
• Increased sales from higher product quality
• Fewer recalls
• Increased production efficiency with longer product runs
• Extended shelf life
• Increased export opportunities to new geographic areas
Typical Purities
Purity can vary by the food product typically from 97% to 99.9%, any higher purity yields no additional benefits
Why Use On Site Nitrogen Generation?
• Nitrogen is a feasible & cost-effective alternative to carbon dioxide in a range of food and beverage applications
• Enhanced safety without the need to store or handle high pressure cylinders
• On-demand supply eliminates downtime due to running out of gas or cylinder changes
• Meet consistent flow, pressure, and purity
• Compact, flexible, plug-and-play solutions
• Low cost of ownership
• Proven reliability
Types of Packaging Machine
• Vertical Flow Pack – the film is formed into a tube that is pinched together at one end and sealed over an injection pipe, product is portioned through the tube, and gas is continually fed through the tube to purge the air, predominantly used for powdered and bulk products like coffee & peanuts
• Horizontal Flow Pack – foodstuffs are fed into a flowing tube, the tube is sealed and cut off along both sides of the product, and gas is flushed into the bag purging the air, typical foods are bakery products, sausages, cheese, pizza & green salads
• Tray Sealer Machine – bottom trays are already made not made in the forming process, depending on the item & marketing different trays can be used, predominantly used for ready meals, salads, meat & fish
• Deep Drawing Machine – film heat formed into a tray on a lower conveyer belt then the product is added, air extracted & gas injected then the loaded package is sealed, predominantly used for meat, fish & prepared food
• Vacuum Chamber Machine – product inserted into prefabricated bags/trays, packages put into a chamber where gas is extracted and gas injected, ideal for small production volumes at lower cost
• Bag Sealing Machine – prefabricated bags filled with the product, snorkel probe introduced, and the air is extracted & gas fed in, then the bag is sealed, ideal for large packages of meat, poultry & fish
