Monday, May 18, 2015

The Employment Of Nitrogen Membrane Generators In The Food Industry

By Tammie Caldwell


The food industry has always been concerned with the freshness of food since this is how they are able to make a profit. The longer the freshness last, the more places it can be shipped to and the more people these products can reach. This is why many companies employ nitrogen membrane generators to help them fulfill their goals.

One can tell how fresh a food is by the color, flavor, and aroma of it. If these three factors are not in place, a person will not buy the product because it is not appetizing. Also, one has to be careful of getting sick due to products that are not well preserved for a reasonable amount of time. This can cause companies to lose money and customers to lose faith in the companies if there are no solutions.

As a result, companies have to come up with solutions that will solve the various issues concerning preservation. One of these is oxidation. This occurs when a food is exposed to oxygen, and over a period of time, the color aroma, and flavor of the food changes. A good example of this is an apple that has been cut which turns brown changing the way it taste and looks.

Since oxygen creates this situation, which is not good for the food industry, nitrogen is used to preserve edible items in packages. This inert gas does not change the color or flavor of the food and the aroma remains the same for a significantly longer period of time. Bacterial growth is also minimized to a great degree.

Oxidation does not only affect the color of the food in question, but it also interacts with natural oils creating rancidity. To prevent this process from taking place, nitrogen blanketing is used to stop the process of rancidity which helps to maintain the freshness of the product. Items with naturally occurring oils in them include chips and other snack foods that have a significant amount of oil.

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.

There are different types of systems that are used to create the purity that is needed. If membrane technology is used, the purity level is less than it would be using a different system. Some companies are satisfied with 98% percent which is what they will get if they use this type of technology. On the other hand, other companies might need a higher number.

By having their products up to standard, companies in the food industry can provide the best service to their customers. Their products can be taken over long distances of several miles and the quality will remain the same. As a result, the customer can have convenience items that they can take with them on the go, knowing that they will last for a specific amount of time.




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