In the food industry strict hygiene principles must be observed. This also applies to special food-grade compressors, which are used above all for pressurising beer kegs and dispensing beer. So that the dispensed beer is not spoiled by oil vapours or even by the oil itself, the compressors used for pressurising it must be oil-free. With a correctly chosen quality beer compressor it also cannot happen that the beer would be oversaturated with carbon dioxide.
Oil-free food-grade compressors ensure with beer that it is pressurised only with genuinely clean air and its taste is thus not affected by anything, unlike oil-lubricated compressors, which are lubricated with oil and in whose compressed air oil vapours or even the oil itself may therefore appear. Given the use, however, compressors for dispensing beer must meet further demands as well. These are in particular:
- Quiet operation (compressors can thus be operated even in enclosed rooms such as restaurants)
- Long service life
- Automatic running
- Low weight, a handle and wheels or non-slip feet so that the compressor can be handled easily
Which beer compressor to choose?
When choosing a food-grade compressor for dispensing beer it is advisable to watch, besides the properties mentioned above, also the required output. If the compressor is too weak, it may happen that it will overheat under greater load, and its wear then also increases significantly. In the case of a stronger compressor than you really need, you will spend more money unnecessarily.
Pressurising beer with air versus with carbon dioxide
With pressurising beer with air, in the case of smaller consumption and dispensing beer from kegs, it is necessary to bear in mind that beer pressurised with air ages faster, is oxygenated and needs to be consumed within a few days. With pressurising with carbon dioxide the consumption period is much longer. With smaller consumption, however, the propellant gases (air or CO2) mix with the beer, which may then be unnecessarily oversaturated.
The situation is then different with large consumption and dispensing beer from tanks, where the propellant gases, whether it is a matter of compressed air or of carbon dioxide, do not mix with the beer and there is therefore no difference in use.
Food-grade compressors PUMA – a guarantee of quality
Among the leading manufacturers of food-grade compressors for dispensing beer belongs Puma. These are manufactured in conformity with the main quality certificates, above all ISO-9001:2001, but also according to the directives on the safety of pressure vessels, noise in the outdoor environment, the safety of machinery and others.
Thanks to the oil-free technology and the highly efficient two-stage air filtration, fouling of the compressor is prevented and only clean air is produced.
Food-grade compressors Puma can be chosen with power inputs from 0,2 up to 1,2 kilowatts. They are designed as very low-noise and manage a flow from 17 litres per minute with the smallest model MB1000G up to 195 litres per minute with the model OD3023. The high variability of the compressor types of this brand makes them ideal helpers for restaurants as well as for private needs.
All Puma compressors for dispensing beer are also equipped with an inlet pressure regulator and automatically adjustable control in stop/start mode depending on the pressure in the vessel. The compressors thus switch on and off automatically during their use, so that no special operation is needed.
As standard, the Puma beer compressors are equipped with a steel tank, but the model MC5605N has a stainless steel pressure tank, which is suitable above all for operations with extreme demands on cleanliness.