SPECIALTY BEVERAGES
Industrial gas helps companies expand their reach Food-grade gas has become critical in the manufacturing of food and beverages – especially when it comes to extending shelf life. Food & Beverage Industry News explains why.
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ndustrial gas plays a critical role in the manufacturing of food and beverages, helping to keep food fresher for longer, which in turn creates a better value proposition for a manufacturer. One company that specialises in these gases is Supagas, a company that has worked in this space since its inception in 1968 and continues to work with a range of food and beverage manufacturers. George Elhlou, national specialty gases manager at Supagas, said the company incorporates all specialised gas applications across the industry on the back of continued development in the space. “We are talking about applications which are scientific based,” said Elhlou, “such as research and development at universities and research facilities, and we also look after Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) for food.” MAP keeps food fresher for longer by sealing the product in its packaging with a gas mix that slows the decaying process. “A lot of products without Modified Atmosphere Packaging will obviously spoil quicker due to oxygen degradation. “It’s not one approach fits all. But MAP tends to be a combination of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen mixtures, and each product determines the mixture of gases needed,” said Elhlou. MAP machines are used to flush oxygen out of packaging and inject the required pure gas or mixture before sealing, ensuring a longer shelf life and in turn giving a manufacturer the opportunity to look at markets further abroad. Each product’s gas composition is worked out between Supagas and its clients prior to its application, with Supagas ensuring the mix is the best possible solution. “These are specific food packaging
machines and there are different types and designs for different products,” said Elhlou. “The most common machine for this is tray sealing, but it could be in any form. “A bag of potato chips is a great example. Typically, they will most likely get flushed with pure nitrogen, expelling the oxygen, which is what makes it spoil.” However, red meat, for example, requires some level of oxygen in its MAP. This method means the product remains pleasing to the consumer’s eye and mitigates the risk of the product not selling prior to its expiry dates. As critical as industrial gases are in the production process, the evolution of the technology has not required much updating over the years. “Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are the dominant gases used. It’s about-
ensuring we do enough experimental work with the client to determine what is the most efficient mixture for their product.” Meanwhile, David Petroff, national industrial bulk manager at Supagas, said customers contacted Supagas not just for its expertise in gas applications but also for its ability to help the companies grow. “One of our critical roles is to work with them to pick the best type of solution for them,” he said. “If you can imagine a customer has an idea of what they want but we help them sharpen the focus onto what will work best for them. “The concept of small, medium and large customers is very important to be able to pick the appropriate size of tanks, for example, or packages they use, to do gas flushing, tray sealing, mat packaging, carbonation and so forth.” Supagas also supports companies of any size, from small to large
Food-grade gases have had a huge and positive impact on the food and beverage industry.
28 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au
manufacturers, while also helping clients when the product gains a high level of success. “Some customers start off much smaller. For example, we have a beverage client that started off in a small shed. It’s important you don’t offer a bulk system to someone who has just started out,” said Petroff. “Instead, we supplied the client with smaller carbon dioxide cylinders to help with the carbonation process.” Petroff said the client’s product became ‘wildly successful’ in the market and as a result the company moved to a larger factory and contacted Supagas to help them figure out what new gas applications and mixes would be needed for expansion. “We supplied them with larger cylinders and their maturity grew as they became more successful with their drinks, so they needed more production lines, hence the need for bulk tanks,” said Petroff. “It’s important that you size
