So Nice! It’s Baked Twice! Plants that manufacture biscuits must comply with several statutory requirements covering health and safety, food safety, hygiene and environmental requirements that are relevant to the food processing industry. There are quality assurance practices for raw materials, in-process products and specifications for finished products – visual appearance, bite tests, crunchiness tests, hardness, flavour tests and consistency of the batch. Compressed air is one of the major utilities in the biscuit manufacturing process, being involved in the tippers used to move the dough, equipment used to dispense the required ingredient and in packaging where they power solenoid valves that are used to print wrapping foils. Compressed air required in the food industry is of three kinds. These are dependent on how much the air is in contact with the food that is being produced. ‘Non-contact low risk’ air is that air which does not encounter the food; and is at a low risk even if it does come in contact. ‘Non-contact high risk’ air is also air kept away from the food, but it carries a risk of contaminating the food if it gets in contact. Finally, there is the compressed air that does get used directly with the food created, called ‘Contact air’. Since this air is always around the food it should be as filtered and dehydrated as possible. The requirement of pure, dry air is why oil-free compressors are the best solution for the food industry. ELGi has pioneered the development of oil-free screw air compressors which are commonly used in the biscuit industry in India and owns a major share of the Indian market.