Compressed Air in the Pet Food Industry
Compressed air used in the manufacturing process of pet food should be considered a Critical Factor as it can have a direct affect on the Commercial Sterility of the final product. Assuring pet food safety and quality is essential for the viability of any pet food manufacturer.

Pet Food Compressed Air & Gas Testing Specifications
Trace Analytics, LLC is an A2LA Accredited Laboratory in compliance with ISO 17025 as required by BRC and SQF. We can test to a wide variety of specifications. Some example specs commonly used in Pet Food are shown below:BCAS Food and Beverage Grade Compressed Air |
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ISO 8573-1:2010 Purity Class |
Particles (P) | Water | Oil | ||||
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By Particle Size (maximum number of particles per m3) |
Vapor Pressure Dewpoint | Aerosol & Vapor | |||||
0.1 µm < d ≤ 0.5 µm | 0.5 µm < d ≤ 1.0 µm | 1.0 µm < d ≤ 5.0 µm | °C | °F | mg/m3 | ||
Direct Contact 2:2:1 |
400,000 | 6,000 | 100 | ≤ -40 | ≤ -40 | ≤ 0.01 | |
Indirect Contact 2:4:2 |
400,000 | 6,000 | 100 | ≤ +3 | ≤ +37 | ≤ 0.1 | |
Microbial Contaminants | Hazard analysis shall establish the risk of contamination by microbiological contaminants from compressed air. The level of control identified as being required over microbiological contaminants in the compressed air shall be detected using the test method specified in ISO 8573-7. | ||||||
Footnotes | (P) Particle classes 1-5 may not be employed if particles >5 micron are present according to ISO 8573-1. | ||||||
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ISO 8573-1:2010 Compressed Air Contaminants and Purity Classes |
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Class | Particles | Water | Oil | ||||||
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By Particle Size (maximum number of particles per m3) See Note 2 |
By Mass | Vapor Pressure Dewpoint | Liquid | Liquid, Aerosol, & Vapor See Note 1 |
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0.1 µm < d ≤ 0.5 µm | 0.5 µ m< d ≤ 1.0 µm | 1.0 µm < d ≤ 5.0 µm | mg/m3 | °C | °F | g/m3 | mg/m3 | ||
0 | As specified by the equipment user or supplier and more stringent than class 1 | ||||||||
1 | ≤ 20,000 | ≤ 400 | ≤ 10 | - | ≤ -70 | ≤ -94 | - | ≤ 0.01 | |
2 | ≤ 400,000 | ≤ 6,000 | ≤ 100 | - | ≤ -40 | ≤ -40 | - | ≤ 0.1 | |
3 | - | ≤ 90,000 | ≤ 1,000 | - | ≤ -20 | ≤ - 4 | - | ≤ 1 | |
4 | - | - | ≤ 10,000 | - | ≤ +3 | ≤ +37 | - | ≤ 5 | |
5 | - | - | ≤ 100,000 | - | ≤ +7 | ≤ +45 | - | - | |
6 | - | - | - | 0 – ≤ 5 | ≤ +10 | ≤ +50 | - | - | |
7 | - | - | - | 5 – ≤ 10 | - | - | ≤ 0.5 | - | |
8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ≤ 5 | - | |
9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ≤ 10 | - | |
X | - | - | - | > 10 | - | - | > 10 | > 5 | |
Microbiological Contaminants | Other Gaseous Contaminants | ||||||||
No purity classes are identified | No purity classes are identified Gases mentioned are: CO, CO2, SO2, NOX, Hydrocarbons in the range of C1 to C5 |
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Note 1: ISO 8573 Oil includes aerosol, vapor in the range of C6+, and liquid oil. Liquid oil is typically sampled when wall flow is present, contamination is suspected, or results are greater than 5 mg/m3. Trace can provide a separate kit for liquid oil testing. Note 2: For Particle Class 0, 1, & 2 (0.1 - 0.5 µ range only), a laser particle counter with a high-pressure diffuser is required. Rental of this equipment is available on a reservation basis. Contact us for details. To qualify for Particle Classes 0 through 5, there can be no particles greater than 5µ present. In some cases, Trace uses alternative sampling techniques or analytical methods to those specified in ISO 8573, for details see Smith White Paper, 2012. |
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Other Pages in Food Grade Air in Manufacturing
- Video – Food Grade Compressed Air Quality
- Compressed Air in the Food and Beverage Industry
- Food Grade Air in Manufacturing
- Compressed Air Quality in Food Packaging
- Supplement Production and SQF Certification
- Compressed Air in the Pet Food Industry
- Air Quality Specifications
- AirCheck✓ Exam – Food Grade Air in Manufacturing