When should I use food-grade white oils in my manufacturing equipment?

April 30, 2008

Formulated white mineral oils fall into the FDA/USDA/NSF H1 category, indicating the lubricant is permitted for use where there is a possibility of incidental contact with food. Food-grade oils can act as an insurance policy in case of accidental contamination because they won’t ruin the food product; this is the best way to determine if you may need them in your operations.

There are different types of food-grade lubricants available on the market to meet any plant need. For example, food-grade greases must perform the same technical functions as oils but maintain a more viscous texture and have a more tolerant thermal breakdown threshold. Given the extreme environments food-grade oils must work in, food-grade greases are a critical component to maintaining properly working machinery and should be considered as part of the lubrication equation.

Possible contamination situations include production machinery where gear lubricant may leak from a lender agitator gearbox, hydraulic fluid leaking due to a ruptured hose or where chain lubricant on conveyor belts could mix with food products.

MRO Q&A is a monthly problem-solving column for maintenance, repair and operational issues. To pose a question for answering online click here.

Sponsored Recommendations

Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Impact of Digitalization in Biopharma Innovation

Biopharma enables an entirely new level of innovation that’s simply not possible in conventional drug development. It’s an approach that can fundamentally change the way healthcare...

Navigating the Automotive Industry's Electric Future

The automotive industry is at a turning point. Bloomberg estimates that by 2040, 54% of new vehicle sales will be electric. And by 2030, we’re looking at 100% of passenger vehicles...

Unified Process Control Brings Operational Clarity

Inland Empire Utilities Agency replaces its SCADA enterprise system with the PlantPAx Distributed Control System and reduces complexity for operators

PlantPAx DCS Improves Operational Reliability

KC Water calls on R.E. Pedrotti to replace obsolete wastewater SCADA solution with a unified Modern Distributed Control System (DCS).