Food-safe lubricant reduces health risks

Health risks associated with conventional lubricants pose a challenge to beverage manufacturers, consequently requiring them to eliminate contamination of final products as much as possible.

Lubricant manufacturer Fuchs Lubricants’ range of food-safe lubricants is ideal for beverage industries to ensure that the end-product is safe for consumption.

Conventional lubricants contain mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) and mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH), which can contaminate food products, explains Fuchs Lubricants food local business segment leader Jaco Kriel.

MOAH and MOSH are harmful for human consumption and linked to causing cancer, as it is carcinogenic. Therefore, companies must discard the contaminated batch, resulting in losses.

Food-grade lubricants are subjected to a second-stage distillation process – which reduces the amount of mineral oil hydrocarbons – consequently making the food safe.

Kriel adds that beverage manufacturers need to be aware that only companies that manufacture lubricants according to ISO 21469 accreditation – such as Fuchs Lubricants South Africa – provide accredited food-grade lubricants.

He explains that a common challenge for beverage manufacturers is incidental oil contamination in the form of MOAH, MOSH and synthetic polyolefin oligomeric saturated hydrocarbons.

Incidental oil contamination risks can be mitigated by using Fuchs Lubricants’ H1 product range, which meets the minimum requirements to ensure that products are safe for consumption.

In the event of a leakage, a small amount of food-safe lubricant in the product is not harmful because it adheres to the standards and minimum requirements of hydrocarbons, whether it is saturated or aromatic.

Therefore, the product is still safe for consumption and the taste of the product is not affected; thus, manufacturers do not have to discard the batch, he says.

Kriel emphasises the importance of choosing an ISO 21469-accredited lubricant manufacturer, adding that the requirements for being accredited provide beverage manufacturers with the assurance that the product is safe to use.