Modern day food manufacturing involves complex machines and innovative technologies. With increased awareness on healthy diet, focus has been to produce food whilst retaining nutrition and quality consistently. The sophisticated machines used in the process need to be lubricated regularly to ensure their seamless operation. Although these machines are designed to have zero contact of lubricant with food items in process, possibility of contamination in PPM measure cannot be ruled out during the regular day to day operation. Hence the type of lubricant used is critical.
Typical challenges of lubrication in the Food and Beverage Industry are:
Food grade lubricants need to withstand high temperatures as well as contend entry of flour dust/salt etc.
Processed food materials are either acidic or alkaline, lubricants need to be inert and should not affect their performance
Food grade grease should be able to meet the requirements of high speed machinery in food processing and packaging
As there is possibility of lubricant getting in direct contact with the food being processed, lubricants need to physiologically harmless, odorless, tasteless and colorless
Long term lubrication desired to ensure maximum productivity
The evaluation programme for non food compounds adopted by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is the most widely industry accepted norm across the world to assess suitability of the items including lubricants used in the food manufacturing process.
NSF classifies lubricants for food industry based on intended use as well as its formulation into three segments,
- H1 Lubricants – Food grade lubricants that could have incidental food contact during processing
- H2 Lubricants – Food grade grease with no possibility of food contact, however still used in machinery involved in food processing.
- H3 Soluble Oils – Food grade oil that can have direct contact with edible food
For more details on NSF’s regulation and scope, visit http://www.nsf.org
Why BECHEM Food Grade Lubricants
BECHEM’s comprehensive range of high performance food grade lubricants comply to NSF guidelines and are recommended for a wide array of demanding applications. The ingredients comply to the requirements of Food and Drug Administration and is independently verified by NSF.
BECHEM’s food grade lubricants have,
- High water resistance
- Excellent oxidation stability
- Low wear rates
- Good compatibility and adhesion with construction materials such as metal and plastics
Additionally BECHEM’s food grade grease range are also Kosher and Halal certified to meet the customary and dietary regulations of various regions and cultures.