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🧭 Where you are: mascherpa.it » Blog » Food Grade Lubricants: meaning and products

What does the term “Food Grade” mean when it comes to food grade lubricants?

Ensuring safety and quality in food and beverage manufacturing processes is essential. The use of food lubricants, which do not compromise product integrity, is critical. Imagine your favorite beverage contaminated with a hazardous substance during production; the first sip could pose serious health risks. This is where NSF International standards, an independent global organization that protects food safety and all things food grade, come in.

What does Food Grade mean?

A food grade lubricant is a lubricant specifically formulated for use in food and beverage production facilities, particularly in processing and packaging areas where there is a real risk of accidental contact with food product. Unlike conventional industrial lubricants, which contain base oils and additives potentially harmful to human health, food lubricants are composed of safe ingredients that comply with food safety regulations. This means that even with the slightest traces of contamination, they pose no danger to the consumer. While maintaining the same functionality as conventional lubricants-such as reducing friction and optimizing machinery performance-food grade lubricants ensure that industrial processes do not compromise food safety.

NSF Certification: What exactly does it mean when a lubricant is labeled “NSF H1 certified”

NSF H1 certification indicates the highest level of food safety, and is essential for food grade lubricants.
It means that the lubricant is suitable for applications where incidental contact with food may occur (up to 10 ppm). These lubricants are odorless, tasteless and chemically inert, ensuring efficient lubrication without the risk of product contamination.

What about “NSF H2 certified?”

NSF H2-certified food lubricants are intended for use in equipment that does not interact directly with food, such as forklifts or off-parlour compressor systems.

These lubricants undergo rigorous refining processes and contain no carcinogens, heavy metals, mutagens, mineral acids or other potentially harmful substances.

Food-grade lubricants: superior resistance to emulsification

Both DuPont MOLYKOTE® and Petro Canada food-grade lubricants are designed to resist emulsification.

MOLYKOTE® lubricants are made at the molecular level to eliminate potential nucleation sites, providing inherent resistance to water over the life of the lubricant.

Petro Canada lubricants, with 99.9 percent purity of base oils, offer exceptional stability, preventing the formation of emulsions that could compromise equipment.

Wide range of temperatures: from deep freeze to intense heat

In the food and beverage industry, operations are often subject to extreme temperature fluctuations.

MOLYKOTE® High Performance Food Lubricants offer stability at very low and very high temperatures, ensuring efficient operation.

Similarly, Petro Canada food lubricants are formulated to withstand extreme thermal conditions, maintaining their effectiveness at both very low and high temperatures, providing protection and consistent performance.

Highly refined for premium quality and value

MOLYKOTE® and Petro Canada food-grade lubricants are renowned for their exceptionally refined bases.
MOLYKOTE® food-grade lubricants offer extended drain intervals, reducing lubricant consumption and maintenance expenses.

Petro Canada, with its Hydro Treatment technology, ensures 99.9 percent pure lubricants, ensuring long equipment life and reducing operating costs due to the lower frequency of re-lubrication required.

MOLYKOTE® for food

The MOLYKOTE® food range includes high-performance oils, fats and pastes designed to meet the most stringent food safety standards.
These products ensure that production equipment runs smoothly while maintaining the integrity and safety of the final food product.

Petro Canada Food Lubricants

Petro Canada, with more than 30 years of experience, produces lubricants for various industries, including the food industry.
PURITY HT base oils, 99.9 percent pure, provide thermal and oxidation stability, extending oil change times and reducing maintenance costs. PURITY FG food industry lubricants offer solutions for all types of machinery, ensuring resistance to extreme temperatures and aggressive chemicals.
These lubricants are NSF H1 certified, ensuring maximum food safety.

Choosing the right food lubricants is crucial to the safety and efficiency of food production. Certified products such as MOLYKOTE® and Petro Canada offer assurance of compliance with the most stringent standards, ensuring that consumers can enjoy their favorite foods and beverages without worry.