1-781-933-3570 ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED LN2 Dosing LN2 Piping LN2 ApplicationsLN2 Videos/Articles About Us News Contact LN2 Videos > Pack Expo - Nitrogenated Beverages > Pack Expo – LN2 Applications > Pack Expo – Pressurize/Inert > MDM – LN2 Injection > ExpoPack – CSS LN2 Articles > LN2 dosing to extend beer shelf-life > How to dose liquid nitrogen effectively > Filling stations > Carbonated beverages going flat > MBE liquid nitrogen circulation and multi-wafer systems > Test your bottling IQ > Nitrogen in the brewery > Nitrogen use keeps wines fresher, tastier and longer lasting > The basics of nitrogen and CO2 use in breweries & distilleries LN2 Videos Servodoser LN2 dosing unit – Pack Expo Servodoser LN2 dosing unit – Pack Expo Liquid Nitrogen Dosing – Pack Expo Liquid Nitrogen Dosing – Pack Expo Vacuum Barrier LN2 injection systems demo @MDM Custom Sales and Service en Expo Pack Mexico LN2 Articles Vacuum Barrier Corp. uses nitrogen to extend beer shelf life, impart creamier mouthfeel Easydoser G2 simplifies canning line set-up and installation Even as the craft brewing industry has grown and beers have become more diverse, the struggles when packaging beer have remained, with oxygen being the main cause. A reactive element, oxygen tends to be absorbed by beer, which reduces shelf life and can alter flavor and aroma profiles that a brewmaster worked hard to achieve. Vacuum Barrier Corp. combats the effects of oxygen by using nitrogen, an inert gas. By replacing oxygen in a container with nitrogen, the unique taste and bouquet of the beer can be maintained, the company says. Read more > download PDF How to dose liquid nitrogen effectively Gaseous nitrogen has been used to expel oxygen and increase shelf life of products. Liquid nitrogen can serve this same purpose while reducing nitrogen consumption by 80% over traditional gas tunnels. Whether pressurizing or inerting food or beverage containers, handling liquid nitrogen on a production line poses challenges. Read more > Filling stations With PET outstripping glass as its preferred delivery mechanism, streamlining the overall production process to achieve maximum cost and performance efficiency has become the water bottling sector’s key imperative - notably though seamless production configurations, and a more sustainable materials usage strategy. Read more > Carbonated beverages going flat With carbonated soft drink (CSD) consumption on the decline, the growth of non-CSD’s is forcing beverage packagers to embrace unique technologies to maintain container consistency. Read more > download PDF MBE liquid nitrogen circulation and multi-wafer systems Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is an epitaxial deposition technique which consists of growing layers of atomically thin materials onto a substrate. The MBE process takes place inside an ultra-high vacuum chamber in order to make materials with high purity and precision. To achieve such low pressures, liquid nitrogen (LN2) cryoshrouds are used to pump out residual gases. download PDF Test your bottling IQ Mobile bottlers share favorite new packaging items Of all the necessary tasks required to bring wine from vineyard to shelf, bottling is probably the one most often farmed out to specialists: the mobile bottlers. In an increasingly competitive market, mobile bottlers are motivated to maintain their rigs to the highest standards, offer a multitude of packaging capabilities and protect their clients’ wines from oxidation during bottling. download PDF Nitrogen in the brewery Nitrogenated beer is most closely associated with traditional English and Irish brews, with Guinness being the first brewery to patent a design for a nitrogenated keg in 1932. Fast forward to the present and nitro beers now are the trend in breweries across the country. Read more > download PDF Nitrogen use keeps wines fresher, tastier and longer lasting Utter the word "oxidation" in a room of winemakers, vintners and related equipment manufacturers, and immediately catch everyone’s attention. That’s how vital oxidation and its potential ramifications are in the wine industry. In winemaking, oxidation is successfully controlled during bottling by introducing a dosage of nitrogen. Concerns and the desire for increased consistency in flavor and bouquet, along with the opportunity for increased shelf life, give many winemakers the only incentive they need to consider adding nitrogen dosing to their bottling process. Read more > What's The Catch? Before implementing a nitrogen dosing system, considerations, particularly those involving cost and storage, should be evaluated. Those considerations will produce different answers for individual wineries, as it is a matter of preference depending on when and how much the winery uses nitrogen. "Nitrogen can be used and stored as either a room temperature gas or as a cryogenic systems liquid," said Vacuum Barrier's Muse. "Nitrogen gas systems use the same simple storage and transfer systems as any compressed air systems, however, they are not very efficient at displacing oxygen because the surrounding air and oxygen can be reintroduced into the bottle very easily. To be effective, most nitrogen gas systems utilize long tunnels and large chambers that must be constantly flooded with nitrogen gas to prevent air and oxygen from contaminating the wine." Alternatively, Muse said, "Cryogenic liquid nitrogen systems are much better at displacing air and oxygen from the bottle. The nitrogen is applied as a liquid drop, and as it evaporates and expands it displaces air and oxygen from the bottle. This expansion actively pushes against any air and oxygen trying to re-enter the bottle of headspace. Because only one drop is applied to each bottle, there is very little nitrogen wasted. However, the storage and transfer systems for liquid nitrogen are highly specialized and more expensive to purchase and maintain." The use of nitrogen dosing systems can, then, be cost prohibitive, especially if your winery is a smaller one with limited resources. One such winery is Chaumette Vineyards, located within the historic river town and picturesque landscapes of St Genevieve, Missouri. Henry Johnson, winemaker for the vineyard, said they currently don't use nitrogen dosing in their winemaking process, and for now, don't have any plans on implementing the system soon. However, Johnson said, "If our winery had the production capability of the larger, higher volume wineries, we would likely use nitrogen dosing for our red wines, but not the whites." Nitrogen And White Wines While many winemakers use nitrogen dosing for all of their wines, regardless of color, some vintners believe that nitrogen dosing may be unnecessary and not worth it for their white wines. It seems, though, to still be a personal preference, decided by each winemaker based on their thoughts, beliefs, research, and product lines. Chaumette's Johnson has studied the data and believes that nitrogen dosing would adversely effect their white wines, depleting the necessary carbon dioxide levels. "We believe that you really need the carbon dioxide in the whites to maintain the crispness and the brightness of the wine," he said. Although Jones of Chart Industries understands that viewpoint, he disagrees. "There really are no cons with nitrogen dosing," he said. "Even with white wines, it won't hurt and can always help." Controlling Oxidation Of Wine In The Future The consensus is that in 2018, nitrogen is the most economical dosing option and that the method - pushing out the oxygen before closures are applied - will continue due to the benefits it provides. Time will tell if newer, more efficient alternatives will replace nitrogen. Argon is always in the conversation, mainly because it has a denser, blanketing quality, flowing downward when released to create a blanketing effect similar to filling a bathtub with water, pushing all other gases and oxygen up and out of the container. Unfortunately, if current market values hold, argon will remain a more expensive option and price itself out of mainstream dosing alternatives. No matter what winemakers use for preventing oxidation, equipment manufacturers are prepared. "Nitrogen will probably continue to be the gas of choice in dosing systems," said Jones. "There are a lot of questions regarding argon, however, so our dosing machines are able to be used with argon as well as nitrogen." However, Jones believes that any real changes and improvements in the future will likely come from the advancement of machinery and technology. "We have a new doser model coming which will be our new flagship model," he said, "And it will immediately increase the accuracy of the dosages. Further technological improvements will make the dosing systems more economical by improving speed, flexibility, and overall efficiency. That's where the future improvements will be made." This improved efficiency and flexibility will be vital for increasing revenue in the wine industry, where consumer demand for package variety grows. Muse told The Grapevine Magazine, "One of the more recent developments in wineries has been the popularity of single-serve containers, namely aluminum cans and paperboard cartons. For all non-carbonated wines, a thin wall aluminum can would be very soft and easily crushed, However, by applying a small drop of liquid nitrogen just before the lid is applied, you can trap the expanding gas to create internal pressure and provide strength to the can. Plus, you get some benefit of pushing air out of the headspace to reduce oxygen." Jones agrees. "Cans and containers need some pressure, and by having a nitrogen dosing machine to provide that pressure, the wineries can create additional revenue streams by offering new and unique packaging options to the consumer," he said. download PDF The basics of nitrogen and CO2 use in breweries & distilleries For many years, carbon dioxide has been used in brewing and distilling processes. Recently, some producers have switched from CO2 to nitrogen or use both CO2 and nitrogen because each has unique advantages. To help make the right choice for your operations, here are a few things to think about regarding the use of carbon dioxide and nitrogen for craft beverages. Read more > ©2021 Vacuum Barrier Corporation, 4 Barten Lane, Woburn, MA | T 1-781-933-3570 | All rights reserved.