How Are Desiccant Dryers Used in the Food & Beverage Industry?

Compressed air is a key utility supporting the food packaging and food processing industries. It is used in machines that fill products such as cakes, pies, and liquid products, as well as during the packaging and transportation of snacks, vegetables, beer, soda and other items.. Compressed air must be moisture and contaminant-free to ensure the protection of the food products processed in each facility. 

When air compressors are used for bottling, packaging, production, keg washing, etc. compression of ambient air pulls in all the humidity and particulates that are floating around in the air. That concentration of liquid and contaminates will get down stream of the compressor and cause many issues for a business of any size. Because food & beverage manufacturers are focused on sanitation to ensure there is nothing introduced into food or beverages, preventing these contaminates and humidity from reaching the product is imperative.


To do this, filters and compressed air dryers are used. Filters prevent particles and contaminates from ruining the final product. Dryers prevent humidity and condensation from getting into the ingredients, packaging and the products. Dryers also help keep any equipment in an assembly or production line from becoming clogged or rusted overtime because of condensation. This keeps the packaging line moving and reducing any downtime.

While refrigerated dryers can sometimes be used in non-contact applications, desiccant dryers must be used for any contact applications. A contact application is any step during the food and beverage manufacturing process in which the compressed air will come in direct contact with the food or beverage during production, packaging or transportation. To make sure there is no moisture in the compressed air that can spoil food, deteriorate packaging or help aid in the transfer of contaminates, a desiccant dryer is used to purify the air to a lower dew point. This ensures that it is as dry as possible before coming in contact with the final product.

Air treatment is often initially overlooked in the planning process of many industries, but it is imperative to make sure you are using filters, dryers, condensate management and nitrogen to produce the best product without contaminates. Pneumatech offers multiple products that provide a full solution for any F&B industry. To learn more about Pneumatech dryers and Pneumatech nitrogen generators, click the links.

Pneumatech: Your guarantee of high-quality compressed air and gas.

Since 1966, Pneumatech has provided industry-leading compressed air and gas treatment solutions to production facilities across the globe. Our innovative machines and accessories provide clean, dry air and gas to industries such as automotive, textile, power generation, oil & gas, food & beverage, and electronics. We design equipment that is easy to configure, transport, use and maintain. And we provide responsive service globally to ensure you get the most out of your equipment over its long lifetime. Furthermore, we have the capability to engineer products to fit your specific applications.

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Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!

Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!

  • Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
  • Vacuum pumps
  • Nitrogen
  • An extensive line of air treatment components

Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.

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With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our efforts on the following:

  • Increasing uptime
  • Reducing unexpected repairs
  • Reducing energy consumption
  • Improving the cleanliness of compressed air


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