Some consumers get annoyed by all that “air” in their bag of chips. But that air isn't air at all. If it were, it wouldn't take long for your potato chips to spoil and for their taste to deteriorate.

The reason is that the ambient air surrounding us contains 78% nitrogen but also has an oxygen content of 21%. This makes it perfect for breathing but less ideal to come into contact with potato chips and other foods. That’s because the oxygen reacts with ingredients such as the oil in potato chips and breaks them down. This reduces the shelf life of a lot of different foods. To address this problem, you first need high-quality nitrogen to displace the air in the chip bag. Why nitrogen? Because it is an inert gas, which means it reacts poorly with other chemical substances.

Oxygen, on the other hand, is highly reactive and reacts with other molecules. This leads to food spoiling or losing its freshness. The solution to this problem is a process called “modified atmosphere packaging.” Here, the ambient air in food packaging is replaced with a mixture containing mostly nitrogen.

While you may not know the science behind it, you are probably doing something similar already. Are you resealing your bags of potato chips after you open them to keep them from going stale? Then you are trying to protect them from exposure to oxygen.

The process of preserving potato chips starts with nitrogen generators that can produce a reliable supply of food-grade nitrogen. Because the gas comes into contact with the food, in this case potato chips, it has to meet stringent quality and purity requirements. This also applies to the compressed air that these generators turn into nitrogen.

In the past, many companies used bottled nitrogen for this purpose. Recently, food processors are increasingly turning to on-site nitrogen generators. These have many benefits.

They not only guarantee a reliable supply of food-grade nitrogen but also save operating costs in the long run. In addition, nitrogen generators eliminate many logistical challenges, such as when to order the bottles and where to store them. This ensures there are no supply bottlenecks while offering greater flexibility.

After the nitrogen is inserted into the chip bag, the packaging is sealed before being put in boxes and shipped to their destination.

It should be noted that nitrogen is also used in other processes in the food industry. These include grinding, food injection, bottling, cleaning and blanketing.