The use of nitrogen in food packaging has been in existence for several years. It is used to minimise the levels of oxygen present, preserve quality and significantly improve shelf life.
The problem with the food industry is that regardless of season and location, everything from exotic tropical fruits to the staple diet of bread, rice and potatoes are expected to be available all year round and in ‘just produced’ condition at competitive, affordable prices.
Nitrogen gas generators enable food manufacturers to package their goods in the most durable and purified manner possible and meet these demands head on.
Sullair’s generators supply both Hollow Fibre Membranes and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) nitrogen gas generators to provide a solution for every food and industrial application that requires nitrogen gas with residual oxygen levels from 16% down to 10ppm (up to 99.999 % purity).
This means the use of nitrogen as a food preservative is gaining widespread acceptance as a non-chemical method of food preservation. Nitrogen can improve the quality and expand the availability of perishable commodities and leaves no chemical residues.
Nitrogen generators have multiple applications in the food packaging industry.
Storage
As nitrogen does not react with elements around it, it can be used to displace oxygen inside produce storage facilities and slow the ripening process allowing the fruit to remain viable during the transport process.
Packaging
Nitrogen is used inside food packaging to prevent oxidation and spoilage of raw food ingredients and to achieve a meaningful shelf-life extension.
Benefits of using Sullair nitrogen gas generators for MAP
· Preservation of product flavour, aroma, texture and nutritional value
· Increased sales through high product quality
· Fewer product returns
· Increased production efficiency with longer production runs
· Better product colour and texture at point of sale
· Extended shelf life
· Increased export opportunities to new geographic markets
