Air compressors with food grade lubricant

Food grade lubricant in the food industry

There are many points in a food and beverage processing plant where lubricants could make accidental contact with a food or drink product. Air Compressors could allow small amounts of oil to be delivered along with the compressed air into many process’s used within the food and beverage sector. While such incidents would just be an inconvenience in another industry, the consequences of a lubricant- contaminated product in the food and beverage sector are much more acute, particularly given the increasing focus on safety and health.

As such, the regulations surrounding the lubricants used in food and beverage processing equipment, applications and plants go well beyond the requirements and protocols for typical industrial lubricants.

What food grade means and where it is used in the lubrication of air compressors 'Food-grade’ when it comes to lubricants means the product is suitable for incidental contact."

A plant still using non-food industrial grade lubricants risks an expensive product recall that could damage the brand name or the company reputation. The cause of contamination can be subtle. For example, a minor leak resulting from normal wear and tear could mean that product has been packaged and shipped before the contamination is noticed. Food grade lubricants protect the manufacturer in a case such as this. Many food plants, slaughterhouses, bakeries and food packagers are required to undergo regular inspections to ensure the quality and safety of food being prepared.

To reduce the risk of contamination, many companies are switching to food grade lubricants and to this end we can identify the use of lubricants in to these three categories:

• H-1: "Incidental contact lubricants" that are permitted on equipment where the food or beverage may potentially be exposed to the lubricated parts of machine. These are the recommended lubricants for food and beverage plants.

• H-2: Compounds and lubricants that may be used on equipment locations where there is no possibility of the lubricant or machinery parts lubricated with such lubricant coming in contact with the food or beverage being processed. Most industrial grade lubricants are in this category.

H-3: Water soluble lubricants used on machine parts that are required to be cleaned prior to food contact. These lubricants should not be used in food processing plants as lubricants.

Selecting food grade lubricants with air compressors

In the past air compressor manufacturers were resistant to approve H-1 category lubricants for their equipment, generally because of the shortcomings of the earlier generation of white oil based lubricants. The development of synthetic food grade lubricants by the lubricant sector has helped to alleviate these problems by providing products with performance that match or exceed their traditional counterparts opening up a world of opportunities in Food & Beverage applications.

If you need to discuss your application or require help or advice, our technical team will be pleased to help and assist you with your enquiries.

FPS air compressors provide the widest range of air compressors for the Food & Beverage industry including totally oil free solutions to rotary and reciprocating technology incorporating food grade  lubricants.