Pringles packed with Nitrogen

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-05-06 12:56am

Im watching some show on the Food Channel. They are showing junk food factories. Its kinda cool. Pringles cans have the air removed and are filled with nitrogen to prolong freshness. The Mountain Dew factory has a machine that can date code 2600 cans of soda a minute.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-05-06 01:00am

I remember reading something about how some companies are considering packing their chips with argon...

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-05-06 01:02am

Exonerate wrote:I remember reading something about how some companies are considering packing their chips with argon...

I wonder if the public would care, assuming they knew.

aphexmonster · Post by **aphexmonster** » 2003-05-06 01:08am

TrailerParkJawa wrote:
Exonerate wrote:I remember reading something about how some companies are considering packing their chips with argon...
I wonder if the public would care, assuming they knew.

They'd only object if they saw someone else object to it first....

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-05-06 01:10am

They probably would thinking since it's something they don't know about it must be really harmful for them.

Sokar · Post by **Sokar** » 2003-05-06 01:10am

I dont see how they could object, both are inert and harmless gases, using them just prevents mold or other aerobic processes from degrading the product.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-05-06 01:11am

Exonerate wrote:I remember reading something about how some companies are considering packing their chips with argon...

This begs the question: Why??

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-05-06 01:13am

To keep the chips fresher and crunchier longer.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-05-06 01:15am

Argon is a Noble Gas. In other words, it doesn't react readily with other elements. This would, in turn, keep the chips from reacting with oxygen and air and becoming stale. Argon isn't a poisonous gas (unless concentrated and breathed in those concentrations), iirc, so I would see no problem with it, sounds like a good idea to me.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2003-05-06 01:22am

IIRC, Argon is more expensive than Nitrogen.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-05-06 01:28am

But Nitrogen is somewhat reactive, iirc.

Sokar · Post by **Sokar** » 2003-05-06 01:35am

Nathan F wrote:But Nitrogen is somewhat reactive, iirc.

On its own , its completley inert, your currently sitting in a massive cloud of it in fact, only 19% of Earths atmosphere is Oxygen the rest is Nitrogen(80%) and other miscellaneous gases(about 1%).

Now add add an oxidizer to it and then it goes to hell in a hand basket and becomes insanly volitile.(IIR my HS Chemistry

.....)

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-05-06 01:37am

Sokar wrote:
Nathan F wrote:But Nitrogen is somewhat reactive, iirc.
On its own , its completley inert, your currently sitting in a massive cloud of it in fact, only 19% of Earths atmosphere is Oxygen the rest is Nitrogen(80%) and other miscellaneous gases(about 1%).

Yes, I am aware that the vast majority of air is Nitrogen

Now add add an oxidizer to it and then it goes to hell in a hand basket and becomes insanly volitile.(IIR my HS Chemistry .....)

Yep, IIRC that is right. But I was also thinking that on it's own in it's pure gaseous form it was still pretty reactive, at least moreso than the noble gases.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-05-06 01:38am

Beowulf wrote:IIRC, Argon is more expensive than Nitrogen.

Which is why I asked 'why'. I wasn't asking out of consumer safety, the company doesn't care about that as long as it still sells.

Sokar · Post by **Sokar** » 2003-05-06 01:46am

Its cool Nathan, I wasn't meaning to sound condescending there.

Nitrogen has the potential to be more volitile, when combined with the right oxidizers and other assorted chemicals. Gases like Neon, Xenon, and Argon ect , try all you want they wont really do a damn thing other than be neon, xenon and argon.

So I do concede that Nitrogen can be more volitile, but its volitility isn't found in natural processes unlike say hydrogen gas which combusts so easily and spectacularly.

Sokar · Post by **Sokar** » 2003-05-06 01:48am

DPDarkPrimus wrote: Which is why I asked 'why'. I wasn't asking out of consumer safety, the company doesn't care about that as long as it still sells.

As a preservative, oxygen is corrosive and is necessary for the production of molds and bacteria. If you fill the container with Nitrogen or Argon, you halt these processes and give your product a vastly extended shelf life.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-05-06 01:59am

Sokar wrote:Its cool Nathan, I wasn't meaning to sound condescending there.

Nitrogen has the potential to be more volitile, when combined with the right oxidizers and other assorted chemicals. Gases like Neon, Xenon, and Argon ect , try all you want they wont really do a damn thing other than be neon, xenon and argon.

So I do concede that Nitrogen can be more volitile, but its volitility isn't found in natural processes unlike say hydrogen gas which combusts so easily and spectacularly.

Eh, no harm done. You didn't come off as condescending, from this end. Just wanting to make sure I had the facts straight is all.

SpacedTeddyBear · Post by **SpacedTeddyBear** » 2003-05-06 02:11am

The only harm argon ( or was it Xenon) can do to you is if you breath so much in, it displaces all the oxygen in your lungs till you can't breathe. Of course you have to be a complete idiot to do that.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-05-06 02:14am

Speakong as a member of the idiot public I should mention Argon sounds nasty. Sounds like armageddon.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-05-06 02:14am

Argon...and I know a number a girls and guys that probably would

.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2003-05-06 06:32am

Exonerate wrote:I remember reading something about how some companies are considering packing their chips with argon...

Isn't argon inert and harmless?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-05-06 06:47am

I heard Mountain Dew was made from the crushed bones of dead saints, can anyone confirm this?

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2003-05-06 07:20am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:I heard Mountain Dew was made from the crushed bones of dead saints, can anyone confirm this?

So that's why it tastes so bad.

EDIT: Far be it from me to be a catholicism expert, but aren't all saints dead by definition? Your rumor is redundant and repetitive.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-05-06 08:06am

Robert Treder wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote:I heard Mountain Dew was made from the crushed bones of dead saints, can anyone confirm this?
So that's why it tastes so bad.

EDIT: Far be it from me to be a catholicism expert, but aren't all saints dead by definition? Your rumor is redundant and repetitive.

Yep. What? You expected it to be fresh? My, my, how they clouded you poor mind.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-05-06 08:44am

His Divine Shadow wrote:
Isn't argon inert and harmless?

Yes. That's why they use it to displace air when welding titanium and a few other things.