In the food industry, air quality is essential to ensure employee health and product safety. Air purifiers play a crucial role in removing contaminants from the production environment. This approach guarantees high-quality food products that comply with health standards. Here’s a look at the solutions best suited to the food industry with OberA, the air treatment specialist.
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Food industry: why purify the air?
Reducing sources of contamination in food processing environments
Agri-food environments are exposed to various sources of contamination. Suspended particles, micro-organisms, dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs ) can compromise product quality. These contaminants often come from raw materials, equipment or the employees themselves. Without an effective purification system, these undesirable elements can find their way into finished products.
Improving food safety and employee health
Poor air quality can lead to cross-contamination, affecting food safety. In addition, employees exposed to air pollutants risk developing health problems such as respiratory ailments. Ensuring clean air in production facilities is therefore essential to protect workers and guarantee safe products for consumers.
Prevent the risk of cross-contamination on production lines
Cross-contamination occurs when pathogens or allergens move from one area to another. This can happen via air, surfaces or personnel. The use of suitable air purifiers significantly reduces this risk by eliminating contaminants before they reach sensitive production areas.
Increase product quality
A clean, well-ventilated production environment contributes to the quality of finished products. Air purifiers eliminate fine particles and micro-organisms, reducing the risk of contamination. This approach extends product shelf life and strengthens consumer confidence in the brand.
Compliance with health standards and food industry regulations
The food industry must comply with strict health and safety regulations. Installing high-performance air purifiers helps companies meet these standards, avoiding potential penalties and costly product recalls. What’s more, it demonstrates a commitment to quality and safety, reinforcing the company’s reputation.
How air purifiers work in the food industry
The operation of an air purifier is quite simple: the device draws in polluted air and passes it through several stages of filtration. The purified air is then released back into the room. At OberA, the filtration stages are configured according to your needs, to suit the pollutants to be treated: HEPA filters capture fine particles, while activated carbon eliminates VOCs and odors. Some systems incorporate advanced technologies, such as UV-C sterilization, to neutralize harmful micro-organisms.
These devices can be mobile or fixed, adapting to the specific needs of industrial installations. Both offer advantages:
- Mobile units offer increased flexibility, allowing strategic positioning according to the requirements of the moment and the needs of the operator;
- Fixed systems, on the other hand, ensure continuous purification in specific zones, guaranteeing constant air quality.
Good to know: the integration of air purifiers in the food industry is essential to ensure product quality and employee safety. By selecting equipment adapted to specific needs of your installation, you guarantee a healthy production environment that complies with current standards. To make sure you make the right choice, our teams carry out a thorough in-depth analysis of your environment in order to propose the most appropriate equipment.
Criteria for choosing a high-performance air purifier in the food industry
Filtration type
When selecting an air purifier, it’s essential to consider the type of filtration offered. HEPA filters are renowned for their ability to capture up to 99.97% of 0.3 micron particles, including bacteria and mold spores. Activated carbon is effective at eliminating VOCs and unpleasant odors. Some systems combine these technologies for optimum purification.
Volume of air to be treated
Air treatment capacity, often expressed as the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), is a decisive criterion. It’s crucial to choose a purifier capable of efficiently handling the volume of air in your production area. An accurate assessment of the size of the area and the required air change rate guarantees adequate purification.
Ease of maintenance
Ease of maintenance is an aspect not to be overlooked. Opt for purifiers whose filters are easily accessible and replaceable, thus reducing downtime. What’s more, compatibility with your existing equipment ensures smooth integration into your production line. Some manufacturers offer maintenance contracts to ensure the continued smooth operation of the units.
Noise level
The noise level of air purifiers can affect employee comfort. It is therefore important to choose quiet equipment, especially in environments where noise can affect concentration and productivity. Well-designed air purifiers deliver high performance while maintaining low noise levels.
The expert’s word: the OberA purifier range ensures pleasant working conditions. The most powerful industrial purifiers do not exceed 69 dB. Equipment that doesn’t cause any noise pollution, and covers a wide range of industrial processes. Our ePUR and ePUR CA purifiers purifiers feature a pre-filtration stage (G3, G4 or ISO Coarse filters) and a fine filter stage (M5 to F9) to increase filtration efficiency.
OberA solutions for the food industry
OberA offers a complete range of equipment, some of which can be configured to meet the unique challenges of the food industry. Most of our air purifiers are able to solve your problems, but here is the selection we recommend most:
| range | Flow | Pollutants | Filtration system | Applications | Options |
| ePUR AC | 1,000 to 10,000 m3/h | Odors, fumes, VOCs, gaseous pollutants | High-efficiency activated carbon OBCKV | Processes using solvents, glues and resins | Integration of a suction arm or extraction hood for suction at sourceOxidized or chemically-activated activated carbon |
| EPUR | 1,250 to 12,000 m3/h | Dust, smoke, oil mist, odors, aerosols | System customizable to your needs (e.g. G4 + F8, G4 + H13, G4 + activated carbon) | Food processing, metallurgy, plastics, chemicals, textiles, wood, paper and cardboard, minerals… | Activated carbon filter |
