Food-grade lubricant

FOOD PRODUCT SAFENESS

Compliance with food safety requirements is one of the main tasks of the enterprises that manufacture food products. Both raw materials and lubricants used in the food industry should not threaten human health or harm the environment. The use of petroleum-based lubricants for food processing equipment is unacceptable since even a few drops of such materials directly on the food product or its packaging can not only spoil the taste characteristics of the product but also cause irreparable harm to the health of its consumer.

WHAT IS A FOOD-GRADE LUBRICANT?

Even the best design of the equipment does not provide complete protection against accidental leakage of grease into food, so the finished product becomes potentially hazardous to the consumer. A food-grade grease/lubricant is a special material used in the food, pharmaceutical, and related industries. Lubricants used with food processing equipment should be odorless and tasteless. There are three types of materials that food-grade lubricants are made of:

mineral - also known as white oil, paraffin oil; based on hydrocarbons, petroleum products;
synthetic - obtained by synthesis from organic and inorganic (eg. silicone lubricants) raw materials;
organic - are of vegetable origin (eg. castor oil, palm oil).

Producing greases for the food industry is not an easy task. Materials must simultaneously be safe for humans and possess the advantages of traditional materials:

High resistance to high and low temperatures
High anti-corrosion properties
Excellent anti-wear properties
High oxidative stability
Resistance to water and steam
Excellent pumpability in centralized lubrication systems

The most important thing is the accordance of such materials with regulatory legal acts that guarantee product safeness. Food-grade approval - NSF certification - is the proof of food lubricant safety.

NSF CERTIFICATION

NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation, it is an international independent organization that records non-food compositions, cleaning products, water treatment chemicals and greases for the food industry. NSF International is located all over the world in North America and Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Middle East.

Why choose NSF-certified food-grade lubricants? Because the NSF Nonfood Compounds Registration Program is a continuation of the USDA product affirmation and listing program, which is based on meeting regulatory requirements including FDA 21 CFR for corresponding use, ingredient and labeling.

According to the provisions of the program, depending on the purpose, each material is assigned one of 95 registration codes.

NSF Registration Code Categories for Food Lubricants and Cleaners:

The H1 category includes greases that are utilized for lubrication points with probable incidental food contact, such as in chains, bearings, and conveyor belts. Food-grade H1 greases provide a defensive film against rust, act as a separator on tank lids, and as a lubricant for equipment parts. It is worth mentioning that the amount of lubricant used must be minimal to reach the hoped-for result.

The H2 is a category of materials that should not get in touch with food. They do not include inorganic acids, teratogenic, mutagenic, carcinogenic substances, and heavy metals.

The h2 category includes soluble oils, they are used to prevent rust on hooks, trolleys, and similar equipment. Before reusing, the equipment should be washed and wiped. h2 class soluble oils include edible oils, mineral oils, and GRAS substances.

Non-food-grade polishes and cleaners for surfaces and metals belong to the A7 category. All food and packaging materials must be removed before polishing and cleaning, and when they are returned to work, all odors from this category of food greases must be dissipated.

The 3H category includes release agents that are used on cutting boards and tables, cutter tools, grills, etc. to prevent food from adhering.

PETROL-GEL AND VASELINE FOOD-GRADE GREASES

Petrol-Gel is considered as a lubricant for kitchen appliances. It is made with an odorless and tasteless, highly viscous paraffinic base oil. Petrol-Gel has been produced since 1952 and applies to all food areas in the modern world due to its mixing with appropriate food-grade additives.

There are many questions about whether Vaseline is a food-grade lubricant. Food vaseline oil has a vaseline, absolutely hypoallergenic base, and is intended for machines and mechanisms working in the food industry, pharmacology, etc. It perfectly prevents corrosion, does not dissolve in water, does not irritate the skin and mucous membranes. Not toxic if swallowed.

FOOD-GRADE LUBRICANT APPLICATION AREAS

NSF-approved oils, emulsions, and greases are environmentally friendly and can be used with confectionery machines, forming, wrapping, packaging machines, ovens, wine presses, mixers, etc.

H1 and 3H food-grade lubricants are secured and favored lubricants for use in the food industry. However, it must be remembered that while the 3H tolerance permits direct continuous contact with food, the H1 - only unintentional. The residual content of materials of the H1 category in the final product must not exceed 0.001%.

Top-quality food-grade lubricants are waiting for you at Prime Buy.