The Importance of Food Grade Lubricants
Lubricating equipment used in the food processing industry presents a unique challenge. The technical performance characteristics required from a food-grade lubricant are the same as any other lubricant; friction control, wear prevention, corrosion and oxidation protection and efficient power transfer, but food grade lubricants must also comply with industry standards on the use of approved base fluids and additives.
Lubricant Food-Grade Approvals
Prior to February 1998 all lubricant formulation approvals in the US were administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). To gain approval a lubricant manufacturer had to prove that all the ingredients in the formulation were allowable substances in accordance with the Guidelines of Security Code of Federal Regulations (FDA 21 CFR §178.3570 – Incidental food contact lubricants).
Today, it is the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) that manages a lubricant evaluation programme in the US. The NSF is an independent, non-profit organisation that is committed to public health, safety and protection of the environment. New ingredients can be approved by the NSF (base oils and additives) and the NSF also manages a certification programme for approving formulated lubricants. In 2008, InS Services began offering a similar registrations programme in Europe, also identifying lubricant components that conformed to criteria set by the USDA Food and Drug Administration.
The category codes that relate to the approval of new food grade lubricants are listed below:
In 2011 Croda embarked on a programme to identify a broad range of esters which the NSF would deem suitable for use as base fluids in incidental food contact lubricants. PriolubeTM 3970 was the first of seven esters which have since been approved as HX-1 ingredients, bringing Croda’s ester product range to nine. Many of Croda’s esters are derived from renewable and sustainable raw materials and all exhibit a high degree of biodegradability. The table below summarises the current range of Croda Lubricant esters, ranging in viscosity from ISO 10 – ISO 320, the broadest viscosity range of any ester base fluid supplier today.
In addition to ester base fluids, Croda also has a wide range of water soluble and water insoluble polyalkylene glycols (PAGs) branded under the EmkaroxTM
name, which are particularly well
suited as carriers for solid lubricants in high temperature chain applications. At elevated temperatures (>600°C), PAGs will evaporate cleanly leaving behind a solid lubricating film, without the formation of harmful residues.
Croda has also been successful in having one of its anti- corrosion additives approved as a HX-1 ingredient, namely CrodasinicTM
O. This brings the total number of Croda products
which are either approved under the FDA 21 CFR §178.3570 – Incidental food contact lubricants scheme or have been approved as HX-1 ingredients for incidental food contact lubricants by the NSF to over twenty.
The NSF programme is currently the most widely accepted worldwide for certification of incidental food contact lubricants. Products complying with the NSF requirements are identified in the online NSF White BookTM
Listing of proprietary substances
and non-food compounds. NSF registered products are also permitted to carry an NSF Registration Mark on their product label.
It is not always easy to decide whether there is a possibility of food contact within the production process, and many lubricant formulators and additive companies, like Croda Lubricants, have opted to select H1 or HX-1 registration for their products over H2, to ensure safety.
Croda Lubricants Incidental Food Contact Products For many years, formulators of lubricants for use in the food processing industry have had to rely on mineral oils, PAOs and polyalkylene glycols as base fluids. Whilst these base fluids have their uses, they also have their limitations. For example, they do not possess the desired oxidation and thermal stability properties required for use in some high temperature lubrication environments.
Today, Croda’s extensive product range is composed of: • Ester base fluids and lubricity additives (ISO 10 – ISO 320) • Water-soluble polyalkylene glycols • Water-insoluble polyalkylene glycols • Corrosion inhibitor • Fatty acid thickener for greases
Croda’s products can be used in a wide range of applications, such as air compressors, chain lubricants, greases, industrial gear oils, hydraulic fluids and other lubricants that may be used within the food processing industry.
For more information or to view the full range of products available for use in food contact lubricants email
lubricants@croda.com
Karen Narey, Marketing, Croda Lubricants
LINK
www.crodalubricants.com
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LUBE MAGAZINE No .110 AUGUST 2012
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