Although bread-baking factories and grain processing factories have different products, they all have one thing in common: they are extremely sensitive to humidity. Appropriate humidity control can improve product quality, extend shelf life, avoid production environmental issues, and significantly enhance the hygiene level of food factories.

 

Why is humidity a serious issue in baking and grain factories?

(1) The oven, steam, and fermentation chamber have high humidity

The oven releases a large amount of water vapor during the opening, closing, and cooling process

The fermentation chamber requires high humidity, and water vapor is prone to escaping

The large temperature difference between winter and summer leads to wall condensation

(2) Grains are highly hygroscopic

Grain-based foods include:

Breakfast cereals (Cornflakes, Oatmeal)

Cereals, tablets

Expanded Snacks

Flour and wheat products

Moisture absorption can cause clumping, softening, and mold growth.

(3) The packaging workshop is most susceptible to moisture

External air infiltration directly affects the moisture content, taste, and shelf life of the finished product.

 

The core role of dehumidifiers in bread/grain factories

(1) Prevent products from absorbing moisture, clumping, and softening

Grains, puffed foods, cereal, etc., are all highly hygroscopic foods:

Softening

Weight increases after moisture absorption, affecting the formula and weighing

Water content increases → Microbial risk increases

Agglomeration inside the packaging bag

Typical recommended humidity: 45% -55% RH

The packaging area particularly requires stable, low humidity.

(Export to Europe and America customers often require this standard)

 

(2) Prevent bread crust softening and maintain crispy texture

For baked goods (such as baguettes, dry bread, pancakes):

High humidity can cause the epidermis to regain moisture and become soft

Brittle products lose their crispness and experience a decrease in taste

The finished product absorbs moisture during cooling on the conveyor line, causing instability

Keeping it appropriately dry can maintain product quality.

 

(3) Avoiding mold growth and food safety issues

High humidity is one of the most common reasons for mold in bread factories:

Fermentation room exterior wall

Cooling tunnel

Ground of the packaging area

Near the oven area

Dehumidification can effectively block the growth conditions of mold, meeting the following requirements:

HACCP

FSMA

GMP

ISO 22000

Food safety compliance requirements.

 

(4) Reduce condensation water and secondary pollution

Baking factories often experience condensation due to temperature differences:

Dripping water from the ceiling → contaminating the production line

Water droplets on the surface of the equipment → corrosion

Facing the insecurity of workers on the ground

After reducing the air dew point, industrial dehumidifiers can eliminate the risk of condensation.

 

(5) Improve cooling and packaging efficiency

Baked bread must be thoroughly cooled in the cooling area.

If the environmental humidity is high:

Bread absorbs water during the cooling process

Water droplets appear inside the packaging bag

Quality degradation after packaging

Dehumidifiers can help:

Faster cooling speed

The cooling process is more hygienic

Reduce product rework and scrap

 

Dehumidification configuration in different regions

 

Dehumidifiers related to the satisfaction of end customers

European and American buyers often pay attention to:

Does the Packaging Room maintain 40% -50% RH?

Is there anti-mold management in place?

Do you want to avoid condensation?

Does it meet FSMA and HACCP requirements?

Installing a dehumidifier for bakery and grain products factory is the key to answering these questions.

 

Pain points in dehumidification system design

The humidity near the oven fluctuates greatly, making it difficult for ordinary dehumidifiers to cope

Large area workshop with high humidity load → higher air volume equipment needs to be selected

Severe moisture leakage in the fermentation room → It is often necessary to divide the area for dehumidification

If there is no air duct in the packaging room, there will be many dead corners due to humidity

The original HVAC system in the factory does not have a dehumidification function and needs to be renovated

 

Preair is a professional industrial dehumidifier manufacturer. We currently have two types of ceiling-mounted refrigerant dehumidifiers, the ZETA series and the PRO series. Certainly, suppose you want to obtain customized products. In that case, we also have a dedicated R&D team to serve you, providing a one-stop service of design, sample development, performance testing, and mass production. The ZETA dehumidifiers support ceiling installation (requiring connection of air inlet, outlet, and drainage pipe), and can be connected to several stand-alone temperature and humidity meters, third-party controllers. They are equipped with a MERV filter, which can be upgraded according to practical needs. We can provide installation guidance and after-sales maintenance to help you improve the ventilation system in your dairy processing factory. If you are interested in our products and services, please feel free to contact us at any time.