SOUTH AFRICA – Engen FoodPure, an African-based energy group, has launched a range of food-grade lubricants designed to meet the specific needs of the bakery, butchery, packaging, beverage, sugar, and food processing industries.
Food safety, as well as the conditions and upkeep of processing environments, are now more crucial than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 disaster that began in late 2019 and the 2017 listeriosis outbreak.
While the food industry prioritizes health and safety regulations, workplace floor cleanliness and hygienic practices are equally crucial. At this point, lubricants must carry out their intended function of decreasing wear, friction, and corrosion in addition to the additional responsibility of being food safe.
Products must not only be able to withstand the stresses and strains of machinery that is heavily employed in food and beverage processing industries, but they must also offer the best protection against oxidation, rust, bacteria, and other forms of contamination.
Offering a wide variety of lubricating products that go above and beyond industry standards, Engen FoodPure serves every aspect of the manufacturing and processing operation.
“Our product range extends the lifespan of equipment and guarantees the highest certifications for safety and quality. A major benefit is that there is no need to secure multiple products for each category of equipment which saves time and effort.
“As a non-contaminant lubricant provider, our product range reduces HSEQ risks such as spoilt products and recalls, as well as provides all the necessary reputational assurance that one would expect from a leading provider,” says Tariq Ahmed, Engen Product Manager, Industrial Technical Advisory.
Through a vast network of service stations spread throughout 7 nations in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Engen is focused on the marketing of petroleum, lubricants, functional fluids, chemicals, and retail convenience services.
Additionally, Engen exports their goods to a number of other nations. With a history dating back to 1881 and doing business as Engen since 1993, the company has expanded from its roots in South Africa to include manufacturing facilities, distribution networks, and retail service stations.
“With around 1,280 service stations and hundreds of business clients in sub-Saharan Africa, we are dedicated to delivering first-rate customer service over a wide geographic area, consistently keeping up with our brand promise of ‘With us you are Number One,” the company says.
Food grade lubricants
Food-grade lubricants are essential components of the production and processing of food and beverages’ operational maintenance.
This is because machinery used in food processing facilities must contend with many of the same tribological and lubricating problems as equipment in other processing plants.
To manage friction, wear, corrosion, heat, and deposits, lubricants must provide comparable protection of internal surfaces.
Where necessary for the application, they must also provide good pumpability, oxidation stability, hydrolytic stability, and thermal stability.
Additionally, for some uses in food manufacturing facilities, lubricants must be able to withstand bacterial growth, water (including steam), certain process chemicals, and degradation and performance impairment.
Depending on the possibility that they will come into contact with food, several lubricant types are used in food-grade applications.
The H1, H2, and H3 food-grade designations, which are still in use today, were originally created by the USDA.
Food-grade lubricants known as H1 are utilized in settings where there is a chance of unintentional food contact.
H2 lubricants are used on machinery and equipment parts where there is no chance that the lubricant or lubricated surface will come into contact with food.
Hooks, trolleys, and other similar equipment are cleaned and protected from rust using H3 lubricants, commonly known as soluble or edible oil.
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