-
Food Grade Lubricants
Q. 1.What are MOSIL Food Grade Lubricants?
MOSIL Food Grade Lubricants are potentially indirect food additives, as they may incidentally come into contact with the food items due to leaks, spillages or faults in equipment. All lubricants used in food processing and packaging must be food grade.
Q. 2.When is a lubricant food grade?
A lubricant qualifies as food-grade when, in the event of contamination, it is no more than 10 mg per kg of the foodstuff in question and must not cause any physiological hazard or affect the food’s odour and taste in any way. Food Grade Lubricants are special blends of base fluids and additives and should confirm to the erstwhile US FDA standards and registered by NSF International in the H1 category.
Q. 3.How safe are MOSIL Food Grade Lubricants in food production?
All products in the MOSIL Food Grade range comply with stringent international standards for Food Grade Lubricants handed down by the NSF International(H1). They are produced in line with the Good Manufacturing Practice and as a part of ISO 9001.
Q. 4.What are the regulatory standards for food lubricants?
In the absence of any international system to regulate Food Grade Lubricants, the industry has adopted the strict requirements of the US System as international best practice.
Q. 5.What is the US System and does MOSIL Food Grade Lubricants comply?
All products in MOSIL Food Grade Range comply with the NSF International (H1), the standard which has replaced previous USDA systems for lubricants where incidental contact with food is likely. MOSIL Food Grade Products also comply with the technical qualifications published in the Federal Register. FDA 21 CFR 178.3570. as well as with the FDA Standards for raw materials used in Food Grade products (such lubricants) within the United States, including imports and exports. In addition, MOSIL Food Grade products are manufactured according to the Good Manufacturing Practice and as a part of ISO 9001.
Q. 6.Does MOSIL Food Grade Lubricants have USDA H1 approval?
There is no obligation for lubricant manufacturers to adhere to the now-defunct USDA H1 rules, nor does the USDA endorse or recognise any past authorisations for Food Grade Lubricants.
Q. 7.What has replaced USDA H1 approval?
NSF(National Sanitary Foundation) International took on the procedures and systems of USDA H1. It continues to manage the USDA list, which is known as the NSF White Book of Proprietary Substances and Nonfood Compounds. NSF registration procedures are identical to the former USDA rules, including the classification H1 and H2 products.
Q. 8.On what basis is NSF International H1 approval allocated?
Lubricants are made only from components that have been evaluated and approved by US FDA and declared safe for use in food processing preparations. The maximum concentration of a lubricant allowed in food in 10ppm. Manufacturers of Food Grade Lubricants described by FDA regulations must also follow Good Manufacturing Practise as a specific quality time.
Q. 9.What is the HACCP system of regulatory standards?
The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP) dates back to the 1960s when it was developed by the American Space Agency, NASA, in order to make risk-free food for astronauts. NASA identified points where contamination is likely to occur so that appropriate process controls could be implemented during production. That system is now federally mandated in the USA for use as a critical contamination prevention program under the food safety in seafood, meat and poultry processing facilities. The EU also employs the HACCP system to regulate all EU Companies involved in handling foodstuffs. In India, although the HACCP system is not mandatory, good manufacturing units have started adopting to HACCP Systems.
Q. 10.What is the legislation on the longevity of Food Grade Lubricants?
It should be noted that neither the FDA, NSF International nor the EU has made any statements with respect to food-grade lubricants in use. MOSIL recommends that, in the absence of relevant local legislation, the maximum amount of contamination of food itself by a Food Grade Lubricant should be 10ppm (10 mg/ kg) - the same limit set by the FDA for all non food compound, regardless of age. At concentrations below this limit MOSIL believes that MOSIL Food Grade Lubricants should not impart undesirable taste, odour or color to food, nor should they cause adverse health effects.
Grease
Q. 1.What is penetration of a grease?
Penetration of a grease is the relative thickness of a grease.
Q. 2.How much grease should be put in a bearing?
It is recommended to only fill 33% of the free space of an antifriction bearing. As an exception, for low speed and highly dust prone application, one may fill up to 100% free space in the bearing.
Please note that - overfilling of the bearing leads to more failure of the bearings as compared to under-fillings of the bearings.
Q. 3.How can I determine the service temperature range of a grease?
The upper service temperature is determined by ascertaining the evaporation loss and the thermal stability of the base oil, dropping point of the grease and the maximum serviceable temperature of the additives incorporated. The lower service temperature is ascertained by testing the low-temperature torque of the grease and the pour point of the base fluid. The temperature range indicated in the product bulletin in only meant to be an indicator for the actual use. The real temperature range should be determined by considering other factors like operating condition, atmosphere and type of application.
Q. 4.The colour of the grease has changed within a short period after putting it in the application. Should I throw away the grease as the quality does not seem to be okay?
NO. There are few additives incorporated in few types of grease that change the colour due to the change in the surface chemistry immediately(or within a short duration) on coming in contact with rotating surfaces (dynamic load condition). This change in colour is within the known behaviour of the grease and does not affect the performance of the grease adversely (or in any other manner).
You may continue to use the grease till its intended life. (You may contact us for any further clarification you require w.r.t. a particular product of MOSIL)
Q. 5.Is it common to observe oil separation in Greases?
“Bleeding” or Oil separation is a naturally occurring phenomenon and should not be construed as a problem. The storage temperature in excess of 45 deg C accelerates oil separation. The excess oil can be safely stirred back into the grease within the container. It has also been observed that the higher penetration greases (Lower consistency) tend to have more oil bleeding as compared to thicker greases.
Q. 6.The colour of grease has become darker as compared to when I first opened the container. Should I throw away the grease?
No. It is perfectly alright to use the grease.
Q. 7. The viscosity of the base oil available from your end is reported at 40ºC and 100ºC. How do we know the base oil viscosity of the grease at our application operating temperature?
The viscosity at various temperatures can be calculated using the ASTM Standard Viscosity - Temperature Chart (ASTM D341-03). One may use various utilities available on the Public Domain of World Wide Web to calculate the viscosity at a particular temperature provided you know either the viscosity at a particular temperature and viscosity index or viscosity at a another temperature.
HACCP & Lubrication
