Generating food quality nitrogen gas in a nutshell

The Challenge

J.O. Sims Ltd are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of fruit for the fresh, processed and ingredient market sectors. Their factory in Spalding was undergoing expansion and improvement when they met Maziak at the PPMA exhibition at the NEC. A key site upgrade was to package nut products within a food quality nitrogen modified atmosphere (MAP). MAP, also known as gas flushing, is used to prolong the shelf life and preserve the flavour of products. The process is simple: at the point of sealing the packaged foods container, it is flushed with inert food quality nitrogen gas to reduce oxygen levels within. They had already considered the traditional high pressure gas cylinder packs as the way forward, but were interested in Maziak’s more flexible and cost effective solution: food quality nitrogen gas generated from a standard compressed air supply.

The Solution

Following a site meeting and the sharing of information it was clear that a Parker food quality Nitrogen Generation System would offer J.O. Sims Ltd many advantages, including:

Significant annual savings over the alternative high pressure cylinder supply.
Total control of their own supply.
Food quality nitrogen gas available when required, on demand, 24/7.
Calibrated meter to continuously display nitrogen quality for audit purposes.
No long-term gas supply contracts.
No manual handling of heavy high pressure cylinders reducing potential health and safety issues.
Re-use of the existing compressed air infrastructure.
Modular installation that can be expanded or contracted in the future if ever needed.

The Result

J.O. Sims Ltd are now fully operational with a food grade nitrogen generation system supplying a modified atmosphere for nut packing.
The installation has resulted in savings in excess of £6,000 per annum over the alternatives and was completed and commissioned without down time.