Nitrogen has revolutionised the food and beverage industry, enhancing product flavours and quality, extending shelf life and ensuring consumer safety. It plays a crucial role in a diverse range of applications within the food and beverage industry, from preserving freshness to aerating chocolate and beverages. Considering the importance of nitrogen in the food and beverage industry, businesses are turning to onsite gas generation as a more reliable, efficient supply of nitrogen.

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Advantages of Nitrogen in Food Packaging and Storage

As an inert, odourless, and colourless gas, nitrogen is ideal as a non-chemical form of preservation that aligns with the high expectations of today’s consumers. It is regarded as the optimal solution for processing, packaging, and storing products to prevent spoilage and deterioration caused by oxygen exposure. Oxygen, even in small quantities, can cause various problems for food and beverage manufacturers, such as oxidation and bacterial growth.

Nitrogen works by displacing oxygen, which modifies the atmosphere of packaged or stored goods so that any edible item is safe to consume and maintains a quality standard for a longer shelf life. This is particularly useful for foods more susceptible to microbial growth, including ready-to-eat products, vegetables, meat, and fish. It also inflates packaging to protect and cushion fragile products during transportation. Nitrogen packaging meets recognised industry standards for long-term food preservation and is the preferred way to ensure food safety and quality. This helps you achieve consistency in production and maximise productivity and your bottom line.

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‍Advantages of Nitrogen in Food and Beverage Processing

Nitrogen’s unique chemical properties help create and enhance flavours, textures and aromas. It regulates the fermentation process in alcoholic drinks, provides the “aerosol” in spray oils, creams and cheeses and creates smooth and creamy ice creams or whipped desserts.

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Nitrogen Applications in the Food and Beverage Production

Nitrogen generation is used in a wide range of food and beverage applications:

• Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP): Nitrogen is commonly used for Modified atmosphere packaging. As an inert, colourless and tasteless gas, it is ideal to displace oxygen in packaging to increase food freshness and prevent microbial growth.
• Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage: Nitrogen is widely used to purge oxygen from temperature and oxygen-controlled bulk stores which store vegetables and fruits in a process called controlled atmosphere storage. It is used to control levels of oxygen and moisture, which has many applications, from ripen fruit, maintaining the nutritional value and prevent degradation.
• Inertion using nitrogen:  
  o  Sparging: Nitrogen is passed through liquids as finely dispersed bubble which removes oxygen or volatile substances.
  o  Fluffing: Nitrogen is used to alter the texture of fats and mayonnaise to the desired density in fats and removes oxygen.
  o  Purging: Nitrogen is used to displaced oxygen or undesired gases in a vessel or system. This is commonly done to produce a clean and inert environment.
  o  Blanketing: Nitrogen is used to “blanket” or cover the product or storage vessel to create a protective barrier between the product and the surrounding atmosphere
• Nitrogen Injection: Nitrogen is used to create micro-bubbles in food products including creams and desserts to enhance flavours and textures.  
• Nitrogenation: Commonly used in the brewing process, nitrogen is dissolved into beer to create specific beer styles, producing a long-lasting head and a smooth and creamy texture.  
• Bottling: To prevent oxidation and extend the shelf life of beverages, nitrogen is used to displace oxygen in the bottling process before filling.
• Aerosol propellant: Nitrogen is used as a propellent to dispense “squirty” products such as oils and creams smoothly and evenly. Nitrogen is used as it is non-reactive and doesn’t affect taste, odour, or quality.
• Bulk Storage and Silo blanketing:  Nitrogen is used to create a protective blanket of gas over stored food ingredients to prevent oxidation, moisture absorption and reduces the growth of pests or micro-organisms on grains and cereals.
• Pressure Transfer: Nitrogen is used in the process of transferring liquid and carbonated beverages in the production process – it helps to protect product purity and prevent contamination during the transfer process.

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‍Why Choose Onsite Nitrogen Generation Over Bottled Nitrogen?

High-purity nitrogen can be supplied through two methods, nitrogen cylinders and onsite nitrogen generators.

Bottled nitrogen that is transported to your site in cylinders has several drawbacks, including inefficiency, high costs, and increased safety risks. The operational costs associated with cylinder nitrogen, such as consumption, rental and transportation charges, are set by third-party suppliers.

As a result, the nitrogen cost per unit is higher and these charges can fluctuate regularly. Additionally, logistic challenges and potential supply shortages can arise, lowering your productivity or even bringing your production to a halt. Furthermore, there can be disparities in purity and the quantity of nitrogen in each bottle which can cause serious issues for food and beverage production. For example, significant amounts of nitrogen are wasted in seepage and boil off with each bottle. Plus, cylinders often occupy valuable floor space when large quantities are required to supply large-scale operations.

Nitrogen generators eliminate all the logistics, safety and supply problems that come with using bottled nitrogen. Onsite nitrogen generation provides an autonomous 24/7 gas supply, making it the most reliable and efficient solution for the food and beverage industry.

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Benefits of Nitrogen Generation in the Food and Beverage Industry

Nitrogen generators offer the advantage of flexibility, allowing changes to the volume, flow, and purity levels to meet the specific requirements of different products in the food and beverage industry. Whether it's adjusting the nitrogen flow rate or fine-tuning the purity levels, these generators provide the versatility needed to accommodate diverse production needs and ensure optimal results for a wide range of food and beverage applications.

The benefits of nitrogen generators are:

• ‍Control over your supply: Generating nitrogen onsite means you have a reliable and efficient nitrogen supply that is not dependant on third party suppliers or vulnerable to supply chain failures.
• ‍Purity and volume requirements: With onsite nitrogen, you can manage your supply directly – producing only the nitrogen you need and when you need it at the most cost-effective purity level.
• ‍No Wastage: Nitrogen generators prevent nitrogen gas from being lost through seepage and boil-off    that occurs with bottled nitrogen.
• ‍Lower Long-term Cost of Your Nitrogen Supply:  The cost (per cubic metre) of producing nitrogen onsite is substantially lower in comparison to bottled nitrogen. Gas Generation Australia has estimated that that generating onsite nitrogen with our equipment can cost you 11 times less than nitrogen from cylinders. Additionally, businesses with access to green energy could potentially eliminate consumption costs. Businesses working with Gas Generation Australia typically see an ROI within 1-2 years.
• ‍Improved Safety: Eliminating bottled nitrogen, removes the need for manual handling and storage of high-pressurised nitrogen gas.  A nitrogen generator permanently removes these safety risks and improves onsite safety for the long-term.

Nitrogen Generators for the Food and Beverage Industry

On-Site Nitrogen Generators: Meeting the High Standards of the Food and Beverage Industry.

When it comes to food and beverage production, meeting high standards of quality, efficiency, and safety is essential. Gas Generation Australia offers a superior range of nitrogen generators with the assurance of top service support from our specialist technicians across Australia. Our nitrogen generators are scalable and purpose-built to maximise operational efficiency, making on-site nitrogen generation the most economical and sustainable practice for food and beverage production.

The NITROSWING® modular PSA nitrogen generator sets the highest industry standards. This innovative system is capable of generating food-grade nitrogen above 99%purity and is the perfect solution for the food and beverage industry. With our high-performance NITROSWING® generator system, you can count on a consistent and superior quality nitrogen supply and ensure the integrity and longevity of your food and beverage products.

Thinking of making the switch to an onsite nitrogen generator? Contact the industry experts today.

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