Sunday, May 17, 2015

The Use Of Nitrogen Membrane Generators In The Food Industry

By Tammie Caldwell


The main goal of any business dealing with food is the maintenance of freshness. This is important because foods of various kinds have to travel long distances and there is also the convenience of packaged products which are used by many around the world. This article will look at how the food industry benefits from Nitrogen Membrane Generators.

Packaged foods are usually carried in food trucks to their destination. When a customer decides to buy a particular food item, they want to be sure that it looks and taste the way it should. Many times a person will not purchase something that does not meet their standard of what quality is or what the companies claim it should be.

One of the main reasons for the spoilage of food over time is oxidation. This is a process where oxygen reacts with the food changing the way it looks, taste and smell. This happens to many different types of food like apples. When they are cut, the white flesh of the fruit exposed to the air turns brown and soon becomes inedible.

To prevent this from taking place, nitrogen is used to replace as much oxygen as possible in packages. Nitrogen is inert and does not react in any way with the chemicals that naturally occur in food. This is an advantage for companies who need a solution to the problem of maintaining freshness in packaging.

Another issue with food and maintaining freshness is the natural oils contained in the products which can cause rancidity. This is also solved using nitrogen since it is inert and does not cause a reaction with other chemicals inside the food. This gas is used to blanket the product which prevents the oils from being oxidized. The oxygen levels found in the food have to be kept very low for this to take place.

Purity levels of nitrogen used in the packaging of food depend on what the company needs to maintain a proper shelf life of the product. This can range anywhere from 95 - 99.9% purity depending on the type of food that is being packaged. Most companies will use an oxygen meter to determine how much oxygen can remain in the packaged product before it begins to spoil or become rancid.

When membrane technology is used to generate nitrogen, the purity level of it is usually less than 98%. This might be good enough for certain companies that manufacture certain types of foods, but it might not be good for others. In this case, another system is usually used if a higher percentage of purity is needed.

Advanced technology have allowed members of the food industry to create products that will not spoil after a short period of time. This is good for those in business because they will be able to serve millions of customers all over the country. However, it is also good for the customer since they will be able to have foods that are convenient to use.




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