NEWS
Nitrogen protects and cools natural products
By Marion Riedel, Messer Ibérica de Gases
Spain | The food producer Döhler procures food-contact quality liquid nitrogen (Gourmet N) from Messer. The gas is stored in a 60,000-liter tank and used in two processes: to inertize tanks and pipelines as well as to cool products in various phases of production and storage. The company’s worldwide operations produce natural ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Last year, the Döhler Group, with headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, acquired the Spanish company Zucasa. The latter maintains sites in the province of Huesca that produce natural juices, purees and concentrates from fruits and vegetables. The raw material originates from Huesca and the neighboring province of Lleida, the main fruit growing regions of Spain.
Tunnel freezer for the US market
By Gina Foster, Messer Americas
USA | Messer is offering a new tunnel freezer for “hot products” to its food industry customers in the USA. Designed for freezing hot cooked products, the system minimizes yield loss by locking in moisture. It also effectively manages ice and snow buildup from hot-steamy products which can hamper the freezing process and lead to equipment shutdowns. This is achieved by the unique method of handling gas flow in the cryogenic tunnel freezer. Weight losses due to product dehydration can be one fifth of a conventional freezing process.
Dry ice production with IIoT integration
By Fabian Weber, ASCO Carbon Dioxide
Switzerland | ASCO has taken over the business of the Swiss company VPA Visual Process Automation and established a new department for digitalization. In so doing, the CO2 specialist of the Messer Group is focusing increasingly on automation solutions, digital services, and applications for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). In dry ice production, ASCO has already completed the step towards comprehensive networking with the i-series product line. The models of this series are equipped with state-of-the-art remote maintenance technology. In addition, ASCO offers a wide range of remote access, remote data and remote management services. On this basis, customers can monitor their dry ice production volume and production time as well as the consumption of liquid carbon dioxide. They profit from the complete transparency of the production parameters and receive direct online support. In the future, all new ASCO products will be equipped with the features of the i-series.
Shrimp grow better with oxygen
By Phanlop Jonjaran, Messer Thailand
Thailand | To improve water quality and raise shrimp farming yields, the Charoen Pokphand Group uses liquid oxygen from Messer. The oxygen injection process was tailored to the customer’s needs and initially installed at two locations. In the future, it will be implemented at all of their shrimp farms in southern Thailand. The animals benefit from oxygen injection when they spawn and hatch. In addition, the gas is used when transporting the live shrimp in tanks, where it replaces air injection from compressors.
Gschellti Gschwellti
By Reiner Knittel, Messer Schweiz
Switzerland | The food producer Paul Goop uses food-quality nitrogen and carbon dioxide (Gourmet N and Gourmet C) from Messer to package peeled jacket potatoes. In the Swiss German dialect, the product is also known as “Gschellti Gschwellti”. The gases are mixed in the desired mixing ratio at the customer’s facilities. The family business processes over 1,400 tons of potatoes per year. It is the first Swiss company to cook potatoes with the skin still on before further processing. They retain their flavor, vitamins and color better as a result. The prepared potatoes are delivered either whole or in chopped up form to wholesale customers such as restaurants, hospitals and caterers.
More gases for Spain
By Marion Riedel, Messer Ibérica de Gases
Spain | Messer has started the construction of a new air separation unit (ASU) in Vilaseca near Tarragona. It will be Messer’s fifth unit in Spain. In its final expansion phase, its daily production capacity will be 2,400 tons of nitrogen, oxygen and argon. The ASU is being built on the grounds of Messer’s filling plant there, which will remain at the site: only a few tanks and one filling unit will be transformed. Plans call for completing the project by December 2021.