Industrial Utility Efficiency

Food-Grade Air

Compressed Air and Vacuum System Purity for Food Packaging

By John Schmitt, Marketing Product Manager; Weston Benton, Product Channel Manager – Vacuum & Low Pressure, and Rob Grizzle, Midwest Sales Manager, Kaishan USA

This article examines strategies for achieving high-purity compressed air and vacuum systems in food processing and packaging facilities, emphasizing ISO 8573.1 quality classes, moisture control, particulate filtration, and food-grade lubricants. It also details best practices for system layout, centralized vacuum implementation, pressure dew point management, and preventive maintenance to reduce contamination risk, maintain equipment reliability, and ensure food safety compliance.
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Meeting ISO 8573-1 Compressed Air Quality Specifications

By Ron Marshall, Chief Auditor, Marshall Compressed Air Consulting

The ISO 8573-1 was developed to provide standardized classes for compressed air purity in terms of particles, water and oil to drive the planning and design of compressed air systems in order to deliver the quality desired or required. This article explores why testing compressed air quality is as essential as choosing the right filtration, discusses real-world experiences, illustrates the risks of assuming things are right and explains the value of compressed air measurement. 
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Defining the Purity of Facility Generated Nitrogen Gas

By the Compressed Air & Gas Institute

While oxygen is unquestionably the most important gas in our atmosphere, as it is essential for most animals and human life, nitrogen is the most widely used atmospheric gas.  Nitrogen is the go-to gas for countless industrial, medical, and scientific applications. This is because nitrogen is in vast supply, inert, and possesses the desirable characteristics of being colorless, odorless, and tasteless. The purity of nitrogen significantly affects the outcome of the application for which it is used and how the industry measures the purity of nitrogen gas is the focus of this article.       
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Food Safety Design Tips for Pneumatic Systems

By Steve Bain, Industry Segment Manager Food & Beverage, Festo US

Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) under FSMA CFR Title 21 117.40 is the cornerstone of this food safety effort. Title 21 details the cleanability and cross contamination standards that plants must meet so that food is deemed safe. The following are tips for updating existing pneumatic systems in food and packaging and what to look for when purchasing new systems. 
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Microbiological Testing Considerations for Compressed and High Risk Ambient Air Systems in Food Plants

By Rochester Midland Corporation

Micro-aerosolized droplets are how many members of the microbial world become cross-contaminants via the air mode of transmission.  Food borne viral pathogen Hepatitis A and the ubiquitous Norwalk are very often transported via micro- aerosols. It is well known that many viral or bacterial pathogens or spoilers are transmitted via respiratory bursts [coughs/ sneezes] from people or air handling system, condensate, and splash back from floors. Strict cGMPs  can limit  and control transmission in terms of personal & environmental  hygiene.
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Keep Contaminants Out of Food and Beverage Processing Air Supplies

By Brandon Brownlee, Motion Industries

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 30,000 food and beverage processing plants across the United States employ more than 1.5 million workers.1 Each of those plants applies a wide range of processes to raw agricultural goods to produce consumable food and beverage products.
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Nitrogen Gas in the Food Process

By Jenny Palkowitsh, Trace Analytics

Gaseous nitrogen is used in a variety of systems and processes in the food manufacturing and packaging industries. Often regarded as the industry standard for non-chemical preservation, nitrogen is an inexpensive, readily available option. Suited for a variety of uses, Nitrogen needs to be monitored for purity and potential contaminants. Depending on the type of use, the distribution channel, and the required purity levels, different testing plans should be implemented to ensure safety.
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Microbial Testing and Compressed Air Standard ISO 8573-7

By Maria Sandoval, Microbiologist, Trace Analytics

This article will focus on ISO8573-7 normative test methods and analysis for viable microbiological contaminants and how it can be fundamentally utilized in compressed air microbial monitoring plans. The quality of the compressed air must be monitored periodically to fulfill national and international standards. ISO 8573 is an available standard addressing compressed air quality. It consists of nine parts that address purity classes, specifications, and procedures. ISO 8573-7:2003, can be utilized across all industries’ compressed air microbial monitoring plans. It contains both informative and normative procedures but lacks any tested compressed air microbial specifications regarding colony enumeration limits for microbial plate counts.
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Sampling and Testing for Compressed Air Contaminants

By Ruby Ochoa, (Retired) President and Owner, Trace Analytics, LLC

According to the Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the three major contaminants in compressed air are solid particles, water, and oil. CAGI promotes proper use of air compressors with various educational tools, while ISO 8573 is directed at the very specific areas of compressed air purity and test methods, which this article will address. Microorganisms are also considered a major contaminant by CAGI, but will not be discussed in this article.
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