Engineering news
Food-grade, food-plant, NSF certified, BRC certified, ISO 21469—the list of lubricant terms seems to go on and on - and trying to sift through the terminology, standards and best practices for properly lubricating machines can be overwhelming for facility managers. However, correctly lubricating equipment is essential to any operation’s success. Choosing and implementing the right lubrication program will ensure that a plant operates more safely and efficiently, in addition to making it more profitable.
The low-down on lubricants for the food and beverage industries
The first thing maintenance managers need to understand when evaluating industrial versus food-grade lubricants is how they are similar and how they are different. Products designed for use in food and beverage facilities must do all the things that a conventional industrial lubricant does (i.e. meet general technical requirements that include the ability to reduce friction and wear, protect against corrosion, dissipate heat and have a sealing effect). In addition, they must comply with food regulations and be physiologically inert, tasteless, odourless and be approved by various international standards.
Products for the food and beverage industry are often referred to as food-grade, but it is important to note that only H1 lubricants are truly “food-grade”. Lubricants for the food and beverage industry are reviewed by NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) an independent third party organisation that offers H1 product registration for non-food compounds such as lubricants.
H1 lubricants are suitable for incidental, and technically unavoidable contact with a food product. These lubricants may be safely used on machinery components such as: pumps, mixers, gearboxes, chain drives and conveyor belts.
Bottling is one such application for H1 lubricants; others are handling, canning, blending, chilling, cooking, cutting, slicing and peeling.
Refuse to compromise on performance
It is a common misconception that one must sacrifice performance in order to meet H1 standards. This may have been true in the past, but today that is simply not the case. Advances in the industry now allow H1 lubricants to deliver the same or better performance than conventional industrial oils. For example, the Klübersynth® UH1 6 Series is a H1 lubricant that offers superior performance in the areas of efficiency, operational reliability, and extended life. In some cases, gearbox manufacturers actually use this product for their first-fill even when the box is not intended for use in a food or beverage facility.
Requirements
Are all food and beverage companies required to use H1? Surprisingly, the answer is no. Only certain facilities are regulated by governmental agencies to use these products. However, the use of H1 products has become an unofficial industry standard and many organisations have made it their corporate policy to use H1 lubricants as a safety precaution. By using only H1 products across the board, companies can further minimise their risk. In the event that lubricant is misapplied in the plant, components may fail, but this is certainly more palatable than facing product contamination and/or recall. Please remember, even H1 lubricants have a safety threshold they cannot exceed: 10 ppm (parts per million) is the upper limit to be considered harmless if consumed.
Lubricant regulations
Lubricants suitable for food and beverage applications as well as being registered as H1 by NSF International may also be certified to ISO 21469 standards. This standard is the next step in lubricant manufacturer regulations, with this comprehensive certification program not only are the ingredients in the lubricant and its intended use reviewed and regulated, under this program the hygiene requirements during formulation, manufacture and handing of lubricants which may come into contact with products during manufacturing/processing are also assessed.
In a dynamic industry such as food and beverage, it’s important that facility managers stay on the cutting edge of regulatory changes, product developments and more.
Standards of success
To help clear up confusion and deliver new information, some lubricant manufacturers have developed training seminars for OEMs and end users. Klüber Lubrication educates its customers on an individual basis through KlüberEfficiencySupport. This integrated program provides lubricants, service and support that can help deliver measurable energy savings, increase plant efficiencies, reduce operating costs and support existing continuous improvement initiatives.