New to North America, the Freshline® DM tunnel freezer is a dual-mode freezer, processing both IQF and non-IQF products on one machine. Now that’s flexibility! Using a minimum of floor space, the freezer is like other Air Products freezers in that its modular design can be adjusted to fit a range of production capacities. The Freshline DM freezer helps processors maximize their freezing equipment usage and range of potential products, as well as meet today’s rigorous safety standards, in a machine that has proven to be both reliable and easy to operate. By using ultra-quick-freezing liquid nitrogen, the Freshline DM tunnel freezer helps preserve product with low dehydration and protect it during the remainder of the in-plant freezing and packaging operation.

Want more info? Call us at 800-654-4567 and mention code 724 for our datasheet.

Chris Johnson, Food Technology Specialist

Q: How can I better understand my nitrogen usage?

A: Measuring the quantity of liquid nitrogen (LIN) used during food freezing and chilling is vital to remaining operationally competitive. Unlike other materials, LIN can be troublesome to measure continuously, so it’s important to implement a daily LIN use tracking program. This data provides a benchmark against which to measure your LIN use. The amount of LIN used continuously is less telling than the changes in use as time progresses. Did the new start-up operating procedure make the freezing process more efficient? Did changing from an insulated pipe to a vacuum-jacketed pipe really save costs this year? Questions like these can be answered in pursuit of continuous improvement if LIN is tracked daily.

How do you get started on tracking your LIN usage? Air Products’ Food Technology Specialists connect customers to the cost side of using LIN with daily tracking tools while providing the support and training to improve usage. Air Products’ Freshline solutions reflect our continuing commitment to the food industry, providing a single point of reference for customers. For more information, call 800-654-4567 and mention code 724.

For accurate forecasting and planning, it helps to understand the movement of key food industry indices. The graphs below were compiled by Air Products economists to illustrate key food product commodity pricing for North America.

Spot Price
Source: Corn, US Department of Agriculture, Market News;
Sugar, Commodity Research Bureau; Cocoa, Wall Street Journal
Click here to view the graph.

Producer Price Index
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Click here to view the graph.

Price Paid to the Farmer
Source: US Department of Agriculture "Agriculture Prices"
Click here to view the graph.

Nitrogen is a truly flexible product—capable of meeting so many food preservation challenges. Think you know all the uses of nitrogen in the food industry?

> Click here to find out.

American Frozen Food Institute > www.affi.com Food Marketing Institute > www.fmi.org Food Engineering Magazine > www.foodengineeringmag.com

IntraFish > www.intrafish.no/global Meatingplace > www.meatingplace.com Food Processing > www.foodprocessing.com

You can request more information on any of the documents referenced in this issue by calling us at 800-654-4567, code 724, or by sending an email to gigmrktg@airproducts.com.