FEATURE FOCUS: FOOD & BEVERAGE


Bearings and the question of food safety


effectively controlled with relubrication- free technology that eliminates grease leakage and the risk of this spreading to food zones during washdowns. Thirdly, consider the bearing's materials of construction: use food grade components throughout, from the material of the housing to the bearing seals, and choose lubricated-for-life bearing grease, which should also be allergen-free and food industry certified to NSF H1 standards.


by Phil Burge, marketing and communications manager, SKF I


nternational law firm, Clyde & Co's analysis of EU data in 2018 revealed


significant increases in food alerts, which have risen steadily from just ten in 1995, to 519 'serious' alerts in 2013, and a record high of 818 such alerts in 2017. Similarly, since 2012, the US food and beverage industry has seen a 92.7 per cent spike in US Food & Drug Administration recalls and an 83.4 per cent increase in recalled products by the US Department of Agriculture. Quite apart from the cost and inconvenience that a product recall causes, there are serious consequences for brand reputation. Food processing companies must strive


for the highest standards of food safety in order to avoid financial and reputational penalties; they are also committed to reducing maintenance downtime, maximising output and limiting waste. Among other ‘bottom line’ related matters, there is a balance to be struck between assuring full compliance with food safety standards and achieving overall profitability for the business. Alerts and product recalls in the food


and beverage industry may be the result of one or more aggravating factors relating to supply chain issues, such as failures in raw stock storage or poor practices leading to contamination of downstream processes. Contamination from process machinery is not


10 APRIL 2019 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT


uncommon but this is one problem that is relatively easily remedied. Adoption of the concept of hygienic design is key, not just for those components that are likely to come into contact with a product during processing, conveying or packaging, but those parts of the machine towards which pathogens can migrate and subsequently accumulate.


SAFETY Food and beverage companies follow a variety of safety practices to protect their products through the various stages of production; however, traditional relubrication, washdowns, and dry cleaning of bearing units can create unseen avenues via which contaminants can travel undetected and subsequently thrive. If a bearing housing is not effectively sealed, for example, or poor relubrication practices lead to excess grease and leakages, then an environment for bacterial colonisation is created. So, what steps are necessary to at least minimise or at best eliminate these problems? Clearly, elimination of contaminant


traps is the first course of action, making use of completely sealed and hygienically designed bearing units that promote self-draining and deter soiling, regardless of their mounting orientation. Secondly, bacterial migration can be


SKF Food Line ball bearing units


TECHNOLOGY Several technologies have emerged to support HACCP compliant lubrication practices for processing machinery containing bearings or transmission chain driven and flat top conveyor systems. These include relubrication- free bearings, fully automated lubrication systems and NSF H1 certified lubricants. In general, the industry adopts three main approaches to avoiding lubricant contamination: the use of ‘food-grade’ lubricants; the use of hygienically designed, sealed bearing units (such as SKF Food Line ball bearing units - Blue Range), or a move away from grease lubrication altogether, towards alternative ‘dry’ or ‘solid’ forms of lubricant technology. This last category can have a significant


impact on plant running costs. By using dry or solid lubrication or lubricated-for- life bearings, for example, maintenance costs can be reduced by eliminating the need for bearing relubrication and its attendant labour and consumables costs. Downtime costs can also be minimised by removing the need to schedule in planned downtime for relubrication purposes. Through modern advances in bearing


unit hygienic design, relubrication-free technology and novel seals and sealing techniques, food and beverage companies are able to extend hygienic design thinking to every component within their processing operations. Ultimately, this approach will help companies within the sector to achieve critical food safety goals. Thereby minimising product recall risks, as well as helping them to meet environmental targets through reduced lubricant consumption.


SKF


www.skf.co.uk T: +44 (0) 1582 490 049


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