In the fast-paced world of organic food production, ensuring both quality and efficiency is essential, especially for ready-to-eat meals without preservatives. One leading European food company, specialising in traditional Italian-style organic dishes, found the answer in on-site nitrogen generation. By replacing nitrogen cylinder packs with a Pneumatech nitrogen generator, the company significantly improved packaging speed, reliability, and safety.

Organic ready meals are highly sensitive to moisture, oxygen, and contamination. Since these products contain no artificial additives or preservatives, the packaging process must preserve taste, texture, and nutritional value. To do this, the company uses modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), where food-grade nitrogen displaces oxygen inside sealed pouches to extend shelf life and prevent spoilage.

For this application, nitrogen with 99.5% purity at 1 bar pressure is essential. Previously, nitrogen was supplied via 16-cylinder packs at 200 bar. However, the logistics of managing deliveries, cost fluctuations, and safety concerns prompted the company to seek a better solution.

After evaluating the operational challenges, the company opted to install a PPNG 6 HE nitrogen generator from Pneumatech, supported by a complete air treatment and storage setup. This decision offered several advantages:

• Full independence from nitrogen delivery schedules, avoiding costly production delays
• Stable and predictable operating costs, reducing exposure to gas price increases
• Enhanced workplace safety, eliminating high-pressure cylinders and risky copper tubing setups
• Reliable nitrogen supply with consistent purity for every packaging cycle

The generator was delivered, installed, and commissioned in just a few weeks, along with two storage tanks (one for air, one for nitrogen), and a VT 1 active carbon tower to purify compressed air to ISO 8573-1 Class 1.4.1 standards.