Dry Ice Uses in Food Manufacturing

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2). It is a valuable part of temperature control across the food manufacturing industry. The unique properties of dry ice help make processing faster and more efficient without adding moisture or impacting production speeds. 

Below, we explore some of the key ways businesses can utilize dry ice and why it is such a beneficial tool for the food industry. 

The Main Types of Food-Grade Dry Ice

There are many ways to harness dry ice’s extremely low freezing temperature and its ability to sublimate from solid to gas. Made from carbon dioxide, dry ice is naturally tasteless, colorless and non-toxic, which makes it great for many food applications.

Opt for food-grade dry ice, which must be pure and exceed 99%. This ensures your products comply with regulations and are safe for consumption. 

Dry ice comes in various sizes, which can be more beneficial for specific uses, including:

• Snow: As the smallest form of dry ice, snow is excellent for flash freezing when processing food. 
• Pellets: Also quick-cooling and great for flash freezing, pellets are rice-sized granules that can be used in dry ice blasting.
• Nuggets: Nuggets are larger and have a longer shelf life than snow or pellets, which makes them ideal for packing and shipping food products.
• Slabs: With a slow sublimation rate, slabs of dry ice come in boards or strips, which is great for shipping. These can be made to fit airline catering trays to preserve food in tight spaces.
• Blocks: Blocks are the largest form of dry ice, have the slowest sublimation rate and the longest shelf life. Grocery stores and ice cream parlors use blocks to keep their food products fresher for longer. You can also use blocks in shaved ice blasting. 

If you need help choosing the right form of dry ice for your food business, contact Meritus Gas Partners to speak with an expert.

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Uses and Benefits of Dry Ice For Food Processing Businesses 

Dry ice’s different sizes make it a versatile product you can leverage at various stages of food manufacturing. Explore some of the key applications of dry ice in processing operations below.

Preservation

Dry ice is an advantageous tool for preserving food. Cryogenic or flash freezing uses snow or pellets of dry ice to rapidly freeze food products. To keep food frozen, slabs or blocks sublime more slowly for longer shelf lives. 

There are many benefits of using dry ice to preserve food, including: 

• Better flavor and texture: By freezing produce quickly at the point of harvest, it locks in the flavor and texture for maximum freshness.
• Reduced bacterial growth: The faster you freeze produce, the more you prevent bacteria from growing, ensuring you meet food quality standards. 
• Longer shelf life: The extreme freezing temperature of dry ice preserves the quality of the product for longer.
• Fewer chemicals: Using dry ice reduces the need to add harmful chemical preservatives to food.
• Portability: Dry ice can help keep food products cold even when mechanical refrigeration is unavailable.
• Quicker processing: Rapid freezing means you can streamline processing and reduce lead times to maintain peak freshness.

Transportation

Packing your food products with dry ice ensures they stay frozen on their way to your customers. This is vital for maintaining the quality of products like seafood, meat and ice cream, as any thawing or rethawing can affect the taste and texture of the food. 

Unlike regular ice, which melts into water, dry ice sublimes, meaning no liquid is left behind. This protects products from spoiling and ensures that the packaging remains dry. By preventing food or containers from deteriorating, you also comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.

Cleaning

Dry ice blasting involves propelling pellets of dry ice through a compressed air nozzle, cleaning surfaces at the speed of sound. When the extremely cold pellets of dry ice hit the surface, they rapidly decrease the temperature and cause any contamination to become brittle and fracture. Unlike sandblasting or cleaning methods, dry ice vaporizes immediately on contact, leaving a clean, dry surface. 

From oven belts to food mixers, dry ice blasting can quickly clean your food production lines to remove any grease, crumbs or wax buildup. This means you comply with FDA rules that state you must protect food products from contaminants and allergen cross-contact.

The benefits of dry ice cleaning in the food industry include:

• Stay online: You can even use dry ice blasting with warm or still running equipment, reducing downtime. 
• Waterless: This is good for moisture-sensitive products like bakery items, as no liquids are left behind. You also reduce water usage, which is good for the environment and your business’s utility bills. 
• Deep clean with ease: Dry ice blasting is powerful and gets into hard-to-reach areas without needing extra tools or disassembly.
• Non-corrosive: Without any abrasive chemicals, dry ice blasting is kinder to your machinery when carried out correctly. 
• Mobile: Dry ice blasting equipment is compact and mobile, so cleaning schedules take less time and labor.

Another form of cleaning, shaved ice blasting, offers similar benefits. The difference is that it uses shavings from blocks of dry ice. This allows for a more sensitive clean, as the supply of dry ice is less dense. 

Pest Control

When sublimating, dry ice turns from solid carbon dioxide to gas. As this gas emanates, it becomes lethal for insects and pests. This requires a high concentration of carbon dioxide gas to be effective.

By using carbon dioxide’s natural properties to control pests, you avoid using chemicals. This is better for the environment, with no runoff or impact on food chains. At the same time, dry ice is non-toxic and leaves no residue, so it is safe to use around food without contamination. 

Using dry ice for pest deterrence also helps your business comply with regulatory agencies. The FDA stipulates that pests must not be allowed in any area of a food facility and that any management strategies must not contaminate any food, surfaces or packaging. Dry ice can be an effective way of achieving this. 

Find Your Nearest Dry Ice Supplier with Meritus Gas Partners

Dry ice has many uses across food manufacturing, from preservation to cleaning. It is an efficient way of ensuring you send out quality food products that meet compliance regulations and get to your customers in optimal condition.

At Meritus Gas Partners, we have built a network of independently run gas and welding supply distributors to provide the best solutions for your business. We prioritize timely deliveries and excellent customer service. Find a partner supplying food-grade quality dry ice near you today, or contact a Meritus expert to learn more. 

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