Compressed Air in the Food Industry

The food industry uses compressed air in almost every production process. Impurities in the compressed air, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, mineral oils, oils, particles or gases can contaminate the food. It is possible that undesirable flavours or moisture are released into the product, which results in a drastic loss of quality.

In view of a great public interest and sensitised end consumers, the demands on producers with regard to food safety are increasing. The food industry has to deliver flawless products and this requires intelligent quality management.

A worst-case scenario for producers is the recall of a contaminated product that has already been put on the market. For example, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety published a total of 198 food warnings in 2019.

The importance of compressed air in food production processes

An important gateway for contamination is often underestimated: compressed air. Many food manufacturers regard compressed air merely as an energy source in their production processes. As a result, the medium is not given sufficient consideration in the measures for hazard analysis and risk minimisation.

Typical applications for compressed air in the food industry are processes such as cleaning, filling, mixing, spraying, cutting, transporting and packaging. During these different work steps, depending on the application, there is direct and/or indirect contact between the compressed air and the product.