Original Publishing Date
16 January, 2023
Last Modification Date: 16 January 2023
Have you ever noticed and wondered why there is extra space inside a packet of chips during your visit to the grocery store? Did you know what else is inside that packet of chips?
The answer is Nitrogen which comprises 78% of our atmospheric air. This Nitrogen inside the packet of chips keeps chips safe and fresh. These inherent benefits and its inert nature ensures that there are many applications for nitrogen in the food industry, primarily:
The main benefits of using nitrogen in the food industry are
Replacing oxygen in the packaging atmosphere with nitrogen helps prevent oxidation. Nitrogen preserves freshness, protects nutrients, and prevents the growth of aerobic microbes. Packaged foods that benefit from the use of nitrogen include fish, nuts, coffee, vegetables and ready-to-eat products.
Other applications of nitrogen in food processing include fluffing, head space replacement, blanketing of process operations to prevent unwanted combustion, and pest control and fumigation.
In addition to nitrogen in food processing, another industry that benefits from the use of nitrogen gas is beverage production. In the wine-making industry, nitrogen allows a longer storage time while conserving the acidity, colour, aromas and natural flavour of the wine. Other nitrogen applications in the beverages industry include controlled sparging of liquids, beer dispensing, beer bottling and canning, and purging of tanks and vessels.
Nitrogen gas in sufficient volumes for food and beverage manufacturing can be obtained from a vendor in cylinders or generated on-site at the manufacturing facility. While both methods of obtaining gas will give the required volumes, on-site nitrogen generation has several important advantages, including never stopping production due to a shortage of nitrogen for food processing. Hence, it's beneficial to have an in-house manufacturing unit due to the importance of nitrogen gas used in the food industry.
Did you know that generating your own nitrogen is commercially viable and an easy Do-it-yourself option for the food and beverage industry? The broad technical requirements for varying gas flow rates are:
The current market trend in Nitrogen is moving from traditional liquid and cylinder to becoming your own independent supplier of nitrogen gas. The two predominant technologies include nitrogen separation using membrane technology (for low to medium purities) and pressure swing adsorption technology ( for medium to high purities). The choice of technology depends on flow requirements and the need for right purity for the lowest economic cost of generation. The opportunity these technologies present to customers include:
Nitrogen in the food industry is thus widely used for the processing and bottling/packaging of food products. Ask an air system professional about the best solution for generating nitrogen in-house.
Nitrogen plays a big role in various industrial applications. This e-book on nitrogen generation will help you understand the growing trend of on-site nitrogen generation and how this will benefit your business.
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