Core77

Packaged food-stuffs need two things: cleanliness and shelf-life. Here are two great examples of their manufacturing process: On the dry-side, the Republic-brand conveyor belt/dryer uses blades of air to dry-off products. (Recognize that technology? It's the same stuff the Dyson AirBlade hand dryer uses!) More energy efficient than other compressed air blowers, it saves manufacturers money and makes sure your Tomato Ketchup doesn't land on a shelf with smudges of goo.

On the stability side, this mad-scientist demo from Vacuum Barrier Corporation explains the process of injecting liquid nitrogen to keep food-stuffs fresh. It's the process that results in the "ppphhffffizzz" sound when you open a jar of peanuts or a bottle of water. Now if only Dasani came with the smoke too...

East Pack Convention 2008