Using Air Compressors for Food and Beverage Applications

The importance of using air compressors for food and beverage processing applications cannot be overstated. Many steps in the manufacturing process benefit from the use of compressed air, such as: • Food mixing • Packaging movement • Pumping fluids • Air filtration This last step is arguably the most important role of air compressors in the food and beverage industry. Filtering out contaminated air is essential to creating sanitary food products, helping you preserve customer health and avoid liability. For this reason, air compressors used in food manufacturing environments must be held to the highest standards. For example, if your processes fill a ready-to-eat package with contaminated air, the dirt or bacteria in that air will travel directly to your customer. This poses a risk not only to them but to your business as well. Therefore, choosing a dependable, efficient, and oil-free air compressor for your manufacturing application is vital for ensuring that you deliver the highest-quality products possible. Here, we outline a few of the ways you can best incorporate air compressors into your facility. APPLICATIONS FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE AIR COMPRESSORS Compressed air is a powerful tool for many different applications within the food and beverage industry. Imagine a hypothetical manufacturing facility that uses compressed air for the production of yogurt. In one area of the factory, compressed air pushes flavouring powders through tubes to mix them with uncultured yogurt. In another area, compressed air supplies oxygen to the yogurt as it cultures. Once the yogurt finishes culturing, additional processes place it into containers cleaned using compressed air. Throughout these automated process, the air also opens valves and actuators for filling and bottling. Although this is only one example of the use of compressed air in food processing, this technique can benefit food processing applications in many different ways. Air compressors can spray oil and dispense liquids such as soft drinks, condiments, or beer. Compressed air generators can produce ozone to treat water or to generate nitrogen to create nitrogenated beer. The air can be used directly on the food as an air knife or on the packaging for agitation, transfer, or sealing. The uses for food-grade air compressors are almost endless. Some other applications for air compressors include: • Bakeries (to spray vegetable oil) • Coffee automats • Packaging • Mixing foods • Pilot air USES FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE AIR COMPRESSORS Because of the wide range of pressures that air compressors can generate, they can be used in many different places on your product line. Here are just a few examples of how food and beverage processors use air compressors every day: • As raw ingredients and materials enter a factory, compressed air sorts them based on weight • High-pressure compressed air peels and slices fruits and vegetables such as carrots, onions, and apples • Worker use compressed air to wash down packaging machines and keep the factory sanitary • Compressed air pushes fillings into pie crusts or other stuffed pastries • Diaphragm pumps move around the liquid filling to ensure even distribution • Low-pressure compressed air blows off crumbs from baked products • Workers use blow-moulding to create specialised packaging • Compressed air cleans packages and vacuum seals food products inside • Cold compressed air freezes products for shipping and retail As you can see, compressed air is integral to every step of the manufacturing process in the food and beverage industry. Because of its usefulness, some people call compressed air the fourth utility, saying that it is just as important to manufacturing as running water, heat, and electricity. ========= All Air Compressors can provide service and repairs of air compressors for your food business. Get in touch today or Visit All Air Compressors for more information about our services! Source: compressedairsystems