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 flavoring 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 nitrogenized 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-molding to create specialized 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.

Learn More About the Advantages of Air Compression with Compressed Air Systems

At Compressed Air Systems, we have the knowledge to provide you with the best air compressors to suit your manufacturing needs. We have been in business since 1963, and we sell, service, and rent all types of pneumatic tools and equipment.

Contact us if you would like to learn more about how compressed air can help your business.