Linde launches specialty gases regulators to meet increasingly tight food and pharmaceutical production standards

Munich - Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, today announced the launch of its new range of U.S. GRAS (Generally Recognised as Safe) and EU (European Union) approved food and pharmaceutical grade specialty gases regulators. The demands of international legislation and country-specific regulations governing food and pharmaceutical drug processing and handling are becoming ever more rigorous. In response, specialty gases and the specialty equipment to effectively and safely administer those gases are becoming highly sophisticated.

Within the food and pharmaceutical production industries, the high standards set for gas purity, traceability requirements, the classification of gases as additives, in addition to increasingly rigorous directives on the use of plastics coming into contact with foodstuffs, all mean that each internal component of regulators used in certain food and pharmaceutical processing applications must be made from suitably inert materials. This is in order to avoid any contamination or chemical reaction with the gas or gas mixture. All components of Linde’s new food and pharmaceutical regulator range have been developed to deliver an unconditional level of gas purity.

“Linde is constantly innovating in order to provide food and pharmaceutical processing customers with highly effective products to enhance the quality and safety of their operations,” said Stephen Harrison, Head of Specialty Gases and Specialty Equipment, Linde. “The new range of HiQ® food and pharmaceutical regulators is a significant step forward in allowing us to offer comprehensive solutions to these customers – particularly those operating across international boundaries, allowing them to buy confidently knowing they have a guarantee of international consistency.”

Linde’s new food and pharmaceutical regulator range has been developed to meet the stringent requirements of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and are suitable for use with FDA GRAS-approved food additive gases and also with process gases used in pharmaceutical production. The regulators are also in line with EC (European Commission) regulation 1935/2004 for food gas packaging applications such as MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging), the food preservation technique to enhance shelf life.



About HiQ®

The HiQ® specialty gases product range from Linde supplies high purity gases, gas mixtures, precision engineered equipment and gas distribution systems, and services and support, to a wide range of industries employing specialty gases applications. It encompasses, but is not limited to, REDLINE® specialty gases equipment, BASELINE® specialty gases regulators, SPECTRA-SEAL® calibration gas mixtures, ECOCYL® portable specialty gases solutions, SPECTRA fine chemical, high purity and VOC calibration gases, plus VERISEQ® pharmaceutical grade gases.



About The Linde Group

The Linde Gases Division, part of the Linde Group, is a leader in the international industrial and healthcare gases markets, providing compressed, bulk, specialty and medical gases, as well as chemicals to virtually all fields of industry globally. The company adds value to its customers’ businesses through the provision of state-of-the-art application technology, process know-how, services and equipment.

The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 48,700 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2010 financial year, it achieved sales of EUR 12.868 bn. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com.