Gas usage in our lives

Air is not only a necessary substance for human survival, but also can provide various conveniences and help for human life through professional separation technology. With the continuous development of the air separation industry and the increasing demand for gas, gas applications have penetrated into all aspects of people's lives. Let's take a look at the gas usage scenarios in life!

1. Frozen foods

Freezing of frozen foods such as meat, seafood, and pre-prepared vegetables is not only related to food storage, but also to the production and distribution process of food. Using liquid nitrogen as a refrigerant to quickly freeze and form fine ice crystals can ensure food quality and reduce water loss.In fact, liquid nitrogen's value lies in its coldness plus its inertness. Vaporizing liquid nitrogen and warming the gas to ambient temperature absorbs a large amount of heat. Liquid nitrogen's combination of inertness and extreme coldness makes it an ideal coolant for certain specialized applications. One of these is food freezing, where very rapid freezing results in ice crystals that cause minimal damage to cells and improve appearance, taste, and texture after thawing. Liquid nitrogen is also used to facilitate the processing or breaking of soft or heat-sensitive materials. These include plastics, certain metals, pharmaceuticals, and even the complex process of shredding old tires—converting a difficult-to-treat waste product into a material that can be recycled into other useful products.

2. Food packaging

Nitrogen is used to fill the potato chips and other snacks we usually eat. Nitrogen has an inhibitory effect on the growth of bacteria in food, which not only prolongs the shelf life, but also protects the food from being crushed, playing a gas buffering role.In fact, in many industrial applications, gaseous nitrogen is valued for its inert properties. It is used to protect potentially reactive materials from contact with oxygen. It helps maintain quality and ensure safety in numerous applications. (It is not a truly inert material, as it oxidizes at very high temperatures and is often consumed in certain biological processes).

3. Beverages

Dripping liquid nitrogen into beverages can inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, prevent the loss of easily oxidized components in beverages, reduce or eliminate the use of food additives, and prevent the bottle from denting and deforming.

Nitrogen-filled beverages have a strong appeal in terms of texture, taste and visuals. Once launched, they became a magical drink that exploded on Instagram worldwide. The addition of gas can create a familiar foam texture and promote the release of aromatic substances in the beverage. But compared with the bubbles produced by carbon dioxide, the foam produced by nitrogen is softer and denser, and the surface is smooth and velvety. At the same time, nitrogen does not add any acidity to the product, and there is no need to add sugar or sweeteners to neutralize the taste. This is a great blessing for beer and coffee that are struggling to adjust the acidity.