Air Audits

Let us analyze your existing compressed air system and provide our report of findings

Key Benefits

  • Determine precisely when, where and how much compressed air you are actually consuming
  • Determine if your air system and equipment is operating at peak efficiency
  • Do you actually need more compressor or do you only need to make some modifications to your system

Air-Audits

Is the Compressed Air in Your Food Plant Safe?

Compressed air is used in a broad range of applications in the food processing industry. These applications include mixing of ingredients, cutting, sparging, drying of product, transporting and propelling food through processing systems, and packaging of final food product. In many of these applications, compressed air is in direct or indirect contact with food product. Impurities in the compressed air may contaminate the food and cause change of color and taste, reduced shelf life, and product recalls.

Should Compressed Air in Food Plants be Tested for Microbes - Parker Hannifin

The perfect environment for microbial growth

Compressed air, which is generated on site by pulling in ambient air and compressing it, contains water vapor, particulate matter, oil vapor and droplets, and microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores. (Atmospheric air typically contains 140 – 150 million dirt particles/m3 and can contain up to 100 million microorganisms/m3.) Contaminants, such as liquid oil, oil aerosols and oil vapor, can also enter compressed air as a result of leaks in worn seals, orifices and O-rings within the compressor. Since the compression process raises the temperature of the air, the air needs to be cooled before use. This process condenses water vapor into water aerosols and droplets. Water in the compressed air can produce rust and corrosion in the piping which can flake off and be carried downstream, contaminating the food product.

Water condensate, warm compressed air and dark conditions provide the ideal environment for growth of bacteria, spores and mold. These microbes travel through the entire compressed air system and are released at exit points where the air comes into contact with food, packaging, or food contact surfaces.

Safe Quality Foods (SQF) guidelines

Recently, Safe Quality Foods (SQF) released a 7th edition amendment. Section 10.5.7.1 states, “Compressed air used in the production process shall be clean and present no risk to food safety”. Until now, the only devices capable of sampling compressed air systems for microbes were expensive, cumbersome, and required lengthy sampling times and extensive training.

Testing compressed air for microbes

The Parker Compressed Air Microbial Test Unit – CAMTU is the most cost effective solution for quickly and easily testing compressed air for microbes. The  Parker CAMTU weighs less than one pound, is easily transported, requires no electrical connection and provides test results in approximately 20 seconds with minimal training required. The device includes connection tubing, a shut off valve and a specially designed pressure regulator and metering orifice.Parker Compressed Air Microbial Test Unit These matched components provide the exact amount of compressed air exposure required for each sampling. The petri dishes are pre-filled with specialized tryptic soy agar (TSA) and are designed to hold up to compressed air flow and pressure. TSA is used for the cultivation of a wide variety of microorganisms including most bacteria and mold spores.