Through our dedicated research pursuits and experiments, we discovered that oxygen is the most vital component on planet earth. Oxygen, a gas that is ubiquitously distributed and supports the life of almost all kinds in the biomes around the world, is also an oxidizing agent! The latter characteristic of oxygen also makes it undesirable in certain environments and processes; like preventing rusting, disintegration and denaturing, which are all functions of gradual oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical process which is irreversible and involves the reaction of different elements with atmospheric oxygen. In general, this is a generic process and cannot be controlled absolutely. However, from the point of view of productive and market economy, it becomes imperative to preserve the products of diversity from the otherwise inevitable oxidation. Metal powder manufacturers around the world have been offering specialty products to help against oxidation. The main ingredient in such products is finely ground iron powder!
Iron powder is widely used as an oxygen absorber. In the last one to two decades, the use of iron powder as an oxygen eater has been accepted, and the customers of it are mainly the enterprises that are making different products that necessarily need to be shielded from oxidation; if the shelf life is to be preserved and denaturing of the product itself is to be avoided. Iron metal powder manufacturers in India cater to the requirements of food processing enterprises and others to help them improve the shelf life of the packaged products produced by them.
Why has the use of iron powder as oxygen absorber grown?
There are many advantages that are derived from the use of iron powder-based oxygen absorbers. The main ones include:
- It is a safe product, as far as food products are concerned. Any typical metal powder based oxygen absorber contains three main ingredients. The first is the iron powder, which is the key component because it acts as the substrate of rust but in the process, it eats up the available oxygen in the contained volume to bring it as low as 0.01%! The second ingredient is common salt, that acts as an activator of rusting and the third is activated charcoal, which eats up the other gases and any undesirable odors. These three ingredients, when compared to the alternates—BHA, sorbates, BHT, sulphur dioxide and benzoates—are very safe and natural and do not contaminate the food even the slightest (even after the iron has rusted).
- High efficacy is assured because the oxygen level can be brought down to less than 0.01%! This is a marked achievement against the potential oxidation processes, which are reduced to negligible.
- The original flavor and taste of the food product are not distorted due to the use of iron powder-based oxygen absorber.
- Vitamins like A, E, and C are not oxidized and the nutrient value is retained at maximum.
- Polyunsaturated fats and oils can be stored for a longer time without reduction in quality
Uses in multiple sectors:
Such benefits of iron powder based oxygen absorber make it apt for use not only in food processing but also in other sectors. Iron powder manufacturers in India are also serving towards the following sectors also –
- Used in the packaging of the medical equipments
- Packaging of the bird foot and pet food
- Artworks preservation and old books preservation
Conclusion
Iron powder acts as an effective method of averting oxidation especially in food packaging. In various industries, its function as an oxygen absorbent helps in maintaining the quality of products while also extending their shelf life. Iron powder is safe to use and works well with almost no impact on flavor and nutrition thus it is used for medical devices among other things like pet foods preservation art works etcetera; different manufacturers from India fulfill these needs across different sectors so as to protect items put in packages over long periods of time as well keep safe valuable artifacts.
