No compromises, not even for food-grade lubricants
There is a growing health and environmental awareness on the side of the consumers, they want to know what is inside. Producers of foodstuff and packaging want to ensure the safety of their products and apply strict HACCP principles in order to make sure their production lines comply with national and international legislation and regulation. There are strict requirements calling for the use of food-grade lubricants where food contact cannot be excluded to avoid contamination and harm.
In view of the valid legislation and regulation, the certification of the American NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) is the most important classification of food grade lubricants worldwide. The American board FDA (Food and Drug Administration) defines which components are allowed to be used for these. 21 CFR § 178.3570 lists all permitted raw materials by their exact chemical names and quantities. The list cites components only which do not pose any health hazard (physiologically harmless) according to the actual state of knowledge and have been tested in comprehensive toxicological analyses. The NSF judges the finished lubricants and lists the products certified in the White Book.
Specially developed for food industry
In order to master the balancing act between maximum safety of the consumer and optimum lubrication of the machines or components, food grade lubricants represent a separate research unit at ADDINOL. The lubricating oils, greases and sprays of the FoodProof family are specially developed for the demanding operating conditions in the food and beverage industry. Therefore, there is no need to compromise on the performance compared to non-food lubricants, despite the limited choice of ingredients:
- reliable protection of the components against friction, wear and corrosion
- best ageing stability for long operating lives
- resistant against aggressive ambient conditions
- outstanding temperature stability
- NSF-H1 certification and registered in the NSF White Book
- certified as kosher and halal
For the ADDINOL Research & Development department, there are the same requirements on food-grade lubricants as on lubricants for other purposes: protection against rust and corrosion, reduction of friction and wear, removal of high temperatures, reliable air and water separation, long component and oil lifetimes as well as efficient and trouble-free operation. Especially plants in the food and beverage industry often run twenty-four hours, seven days a week and are exposed to high loads. Added to this, are difficult ambient conditions such as high temperatures, the effects of moisture and water or, for example, flour dust, sugar or fruit acids. This is where full performance is required.
ADDINOL food-grade lubricants: Proven in practice
No. 1: Only NSF H1 lubricants for a convenience bakery
A modern bakery, based in Thuringia/Germany, is a leading supplier that produces a wide variety of rolls, baguettes, ciabatta, pita and pizza rolls for private labels and retail. More than 380 million bread rolls and baguettes leave the state-of-the-art production site every year.
The bakery products are manufactured according to proven traditional recipes, with the aid of the latest plant technology and gentle production processes. All products meet the consistently high-quality requirements as well as the legal requirements for food safety.
Since the start of production in 2009, ADDINOL lubricants have been used. With the launch of the ADDINOL FoodProof series the plants were changed over to the corresponding products. At first, a difference was made between general lubrication points without food contact and lubrication points requiring H1 lubricants. Today, nearly only NSF H1 lubricants are used in the complete plant.
| Application (a selection) | ADDINOL food-grade lubricant |
|---|---|
| Various roller bearings |
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| Bearings in the furnace area |
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| Various gear units |
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| Gears, compressors (including compressed air system), hydraulics (e.g., lifting tables) |
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| Chains (low temperature range) |
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| Chains (high temperature range) |
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| Chains (manual lubrication) |
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| General maintenance tasks |
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No. 2: Customised food-grade lubricant for a packaging manufacturer
6,000 cups per minute - a high production output but also a high reject rate in case of faulty production. That’s why an internationally operating packaging manufacturer from Germany got in touch with ADDINOL when they faced problems during the production of coffee cup. Specialized on paper-based cups, containers and folding cartons the packaging manufacturer supply branded companies in the food service, confectionery, frozen food, ice cream and dairy sectors with innovative and sustainable environmentally friendly products.
Difficulties during production:
The cardboard-based packaging with PE coating did not separate sufficiently from the moulds during production and the reject rate was very high. To solve this problem, ADDINOL developed a 3H Special Release Oil based on a high-performance base oil to ensure the optimum separation of the packaging products from the moulds and at the same time to guarantee highest food safety. Since the changeover to ADDINOL 3H Special Release Oil no more problems occurred in production and the responsible persons from the technical department are completely satisfied.
