Food Industry

Utilizing the modified ambient (inert gas environment) method in the food processing ensures a multiply extended products shelf life, unaffected products appearance, and the improved flavor properties. The functional inert gas is a low-reactive and partially soluble in products and in packaging materials atmospheric component — nitrogen. GRASYS nitrogen plants help preserve foodstuff from oxidation processes, mould dispersal, generation of micro germs and insect pests.

The adoption of GRASYS units designed specifically for the tasks of alimentary products keep-storing, end products inert-environment packing, and the provision of a controllable environment for vegetable store cellars will inevitably relieve you from a load of problems, which are:

• Oxidation

  Oxidants, in particular oxygen, intensively affect non-saturated fatty acids making such products as butter, margarine, nuts and potato chips generate unpleasant odors. By the majority of perishable products the oxidation process can be delayed through the reduction of the in-package oxygen concentration even below 2%. GRASYS nitrogen plants will provide you with a 99.9% purity nitrogen solution.

• Mold dispersal

  Mold is one of the major deterioration drivers in terms of alimentary products. Package inflation with a high purity nitrogen (up to 98–99.9%) can reliably block up the proliferation of mold fungi.

• Generation of micro germs

  Generation of micro germs, particularly bacteria, turn foodstuffs into poisonous substances. This process can be stopped or retarded by the injection of nitrogen & carbon dioxide mixture into foodstuff package.

• Insect pest

  Inert environment is baleful for most types of insects, and consequently, proves a good protection from insect pest.

Summing up, storage and packing in a modified environment can help extend product best-before-use life, preserve its flavor properties, thus, dramatically increasing its competitive value. Western countries were quick to adopt and are currently enjoying the modified environment technique for storing and packing such alimentary products as butter, cheese, juices, beverage, yogurts, coffee, nuts, potato chips and the number of other products.

The design and operation of the plants is based on the most advanced hollow-fiber technology of the fifth generation imparting to them a range of unique advantages:

• Cost efficiency

  The cost of nitrogen produced with the company plans is ten-time less expensive than that of the nitrogen supplied by the cryogen or absorbance technologies or ready-bottled nitrogen.

• Dependability

  The underlying principle of company made systems is their outmost simplicity. The units accommodate no moving components. When the liquefied air is forced through the membrane system nitrogen is separated from other gases to be delivered directly to the storage area with the controlled atmosphere.

• Adjustability

  The nitrogen plants allow for the adjustment of the nitrogen purity up to 99.99%, and the output capacity up to 5000 Nm³/hr. Once recovered, the nitrogen requires no oxygen additions due to its enhanced purity.

• Designed convenience

  Membrane nitrogen units are fully automated devices and require no personnel to operate them. The start-up and cut-off periods last for just a few minutes.

GRASYS is specialized at the production of nitrogen plants aimed at maintaining a stable microclimate through the sustained nitrogen concentration in the storage facility atmosphere. The increase in stock life of agricultural products at the minimum deterioration rate is achieved with the help of a control system which is designed to preserve the required gas composition in storage facilities. Nitrogen is widely used in the food industry for the purposes of products storage and conservation. The cost of nitrogen produced with the company plants is ten-time less than that of the nitrogen supplied by the cryogen or absorbance technologies or the one ready-bottled.

• Company plants which provide a cost-conscious solution to the nitrogen producing objectives are based on the hollow-fiber membrane technology bringing in the following advantages:
• Optional adjustment of nitrogen purity and output capacity to the ratings required, without the necessity for adding oxygen to the bottled nitrogen due to the outmost purity of the latter.
• Designed simplicity as a basic principle, with no moving components integrated into the systems. Nitrogen is separated from other gases once the compressed air is forced through the membrane system to be supplied directly into the storage facility with the controlled atmosphere.
• No necessity in the application of scrubber for CO₂ removal. After the unit start-up the air flow from the controlled-atmosphere facility space (containing nitrogen, oxygen and CO₂) is recycled with the removal of CO₂, and the elimination of the need for scrubber use.
• No combustion involved. Many atmospheric control systems are based on the principle of propane combustion aiming at the reduction of oxygen in the air. This risky method is associated with the accumulation of hazardous CO₂ hydrocarbon residues. Company units provide for no combustion, thus, producing no contaminants to be emitted into the controlled atmosphere. The residual gases that are separated from the nitrogen-oxygen mixture (air) are emitted in the atmosphere to be subsequently utilized in other processes.

Stunning results were produced in the experiment undertaken in the apple storage facility, and aided by the atmospheric control system.

Poor storing ability of the fruit and vegetables exposed to the atmospheric air was indicated by two experiments.

The first experiment featured various fruits including red delicious apples. Two fruit batches have been stored in a facility with an overall volume of some 2000 m³ fitted with the control system maintaining the steady environment parameters. The third check-out batch has been stored in a facility where the microclimate was supported by the combustion products generator and the CO₂.

As to the first example, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration in the air monitored with the atmospheric control system accounted for 1.5% and 2.0% respectively. Obviously, the system was capable of reducing the oxygen presence in the air. This air composition has been maintained for the period of six months.

As a result, the preservation rate in the storage facility with the controlled environment system was recorded at 83%, whereas the second example indicated only a 73% preservation rate in the storage facility with the combustion products generator.

The second experiment was undertaken on the basis of an experimental horticultural shop. The experiment featured various sorts of apples stored in small premises of about 90 m³ each in volume. Three batches of Mackintosh apples have been stored at 3 °С with the stable storing microclimate supported by the special system which maintained the CO₂ and oxygen concentration at 1.5% and 1.8% during 173 days. The preservation rate arrived at 92%. The batch of Empire apples has been stored for 216 days.

At the same time another apple batch has been stored under the same conditions (1.5% CO₂ and 1.8% CO₂) at 0 °С for 219 days. The result was by far, no less spectacular — 92% apples preserved the firm shape of a freshly plucked fruit, while one sort apples, namely Red Chief, appeared to be 100% fresh preserved.

The table below provides the storage terms for various fruits with the standard cooling system and with the company atmospheric control system.

GRASYS product line of air separation units includes the oxygen-producing units for companies specializing at the breeding of fishes, shrimps, crabs, and mussels. The oxygen-producing units are designed to turn out oxygen-enriched air (35–45%) from the atmospheric air, and feature the environment-friendly, efficient and exceptionally cost-effective technological equipment.

The research statistics indicates that the use of membrane oxygen-producing units in the incubatory shops for hatchling breeding is responsible for the following benefits:

• the increase of hatchlings yield by some 2 to 2.5 times;
• the improved hatchlings survival rates reaching up to 98%;
• the increase of hatchlings weight gain by 1.5 to 1.8 times;
• the reduction of incubating period by 2 to 2.5 times.

The invention of GRASYS membrane oxygen-producing units for the purposes of fish growth intensification help decrease the feeding ratio by 1.3 to 1.5 times, and enhance the hatchlings weight gain by 1.4 to 1.6 times.

The operation of the oxygen-producing units is based on the membrane gas-separation technology featuring differential permeability of the hollow-fiber membrane by various air components. This advanced technology provides for the following characteristic advantages:

• Low maintenance costs.
• Optional adjustment of the nitrogen purity range and output capacity.
• Absence of moving parts ensuring the outmost equipment dependability.
• Completely automated process cycle requiring no service personnel.
• Start-up and cut-off periods not in excess of a few minutes.
• Compact design and low eight parameters.