Specialty Food-Grade Gases

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a core component of cooling, chilling, and freezing. This element helps your food products maintain a decent taste and texture with proper temperature control. Since CO2 is a natural preservative, it reduces the need for added preservatives in food packaging. This is ideal for keeping food like meats and cheeses fresh by slowing down the growth of bacteria and mold.
Carbon dioxide is also a necessary ingredient for carbonated beverages such as soft drinks and beer. It creates the fizzy “bubbles” that are crucial for pressurization.

While not entirely a gas, dry ice is a leading solution for the transportation and distribution of food products. Dry ice is frozen CO2 that converts to gas as it warms. As an expert method for temperature control, CK Supply’s clients can enjoy:

• Safe meat and poultry food processing
• Temperature-controlled distribution
• Efficient packing and transport

Our e-commerce fulfillment center allows for online grocery shopping and mail ordering. As further proof of our efficiency, our five retail locations offer dry ice pellet pick-ups and next and same-day delivery.

Like carbon dioxide, nitrogen (N2) is essential for proper packaging and preservation. It contains a cryogenic agent for cooling, chilling, and freezing. Since it’s an extremely cold gas, liquid nitrogen is frequently used for immersion freezing and is the fastest freezing method for producing quick frozen foods.

Nitrogen gas is used for flushing out oxygen from packages before they are sealed, which helps extend the shelf life of packaged foods by slowing down the growth of bacteria and mold. It’s also used as a carrier gas for injecting CO2 into carbonated beverages. This ensures that the carbonation is evenly distributed throughout the liquid, resulting in a consistent taste and appearance.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is more applicable to meat packaging and positively affects the overall meat quality. Grocery store shoppers are more attracted to bright, red-looking meat that appears healthy, which CO aids with. Carbon monoxide also reduces lipid oxidation and inhibits the growth of microorganisms, resulting in an overall longer shelf-life.

Food-grade gases are necessary for each component of the food and beverage industry, including agriculture. Oxygen (O2) is used to deliver dissolved oxygen levels that are needed for fish health. It’s a vital component for enhanced lawn aeration (a necessary component in agriculture) and sewage treatment in food wastewater systems.

Argon (Ar) is an inert food-grade gas that is used as a protective gas for packaging and preservation, similarly to nitrogen. However, compressed argon is eight times more effective than nitrogen, with better flavor preservation and inhibition of oxidation and package collapse.

The element is also essential for wine production and preservation. The phenomenon most people are familiar with, when a cork is popped off a bottle, is due to the inclusion of argon, which displaces oxygen and maintains the wine’s freshness by preventing spoilage from yeast and bacteria.

Helium is similar to other food-grade gasses as it’s commonly used in food processing and packaging to extend the life of products. Helium is used in packaging sensitive products like chocolate and coffee, for example.

Additionally, since helium is the smallest noble gas, it can easily exit containers through tiny holes. These dimensions make helium a popular tracer gas in various food and beverage industry applications to detect leaks.