Meat and poultry processing is a high-risk food environment where compressed air can contact the product or surfaces around it. Cutting, chilling, packing and cleaning all use air, so purity is a food-safety requirement rather than an option.
Air quality
Contact applications require ISO 8573-1 Class 0 oil-free air with drying and filtration. Control air for valves and automation should be dry to protect pneumatic components in the wet, cold processing environment.
Key applications
- Pneumatic cutting and portioning tools
- Chilling and freezing systems
- Vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging
- Cleaning and washdown air
- Conveying and sorting automation
System design
Use oil-free compression with adsorption drying, stainless hygienic pipework and point-of-use sterile filtration. Design for washdown conditions with corrosion-resistant components, avoid dead legs, and provide redundancy so production lines never stop.