INDUSTRY FOCUS

REPRINT FROM MACHINERY LUBRICATION

JULY - AUGUST 2007

What You Need to Know

About Food-grade
Lubricants

BY SAURABH LAWATE, THE LUBRIZOL CORPORATION

hats required for food-grade lubricants, and

what isnt? Winding your way through the
labyrinth of regulations and registrations that impact
nonfood compounds, such as lubricants, can be
tedious. Heres a quick tour.

Lubricant Categories
There are three main categories of lubricants used
in the food industry.
H1 lubricants Lubricants that could have incidental food contact are sometimes referred to as
above the line lubricants. These may be used on
food-processing equipment as a protective antirust
film, as a release agent on gaskets or seals of tank
closures, and as a lubricant for machine parts and
equipment in locations where the lubricated part is
potentially exposed to food. The amount used should
be the smallest needed to accomplish the desired
technical effect on the equipment. If used as an
antirust film, they must be removed from the equipment surface. Ingredients for use in H1 lubricants are
designated HX-1.
NSF H1

NSF H1

NSF HX-1

Figure 1. Supply Chain for Incidental Food-contact Lubricants

Note: Often, additive manufacturers and base oils suppliers will offer their products via
distributors, but this link is not shown in order to reduce complexity of the diagram.
July - August 2007

H2 lubricants These are lubricants with no possibility of contacting food. These compounds may be
used as a lubricant, release agent or antirust film on
equipment and machine parts or in closed systems in
locations where there is no possibility of the lubricant
or lubricated part contacting edible products.
H3 soluble oils These products may be applied to
hooks, trolleys and similar equipment to clean and
prevent rust. The portions of the equipment that
contact edible products must be clean and free of the
oil before reuse.
Historically, the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) approved incidental food-contact
lubricants used in meat and poultry facilities. This
approval relied on the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) guidelines set forth in the Code of Federal
Regulation (21 CFR 178.3570), which defines
approved components for use in incidental foodcontact lubricants, H1. These approvals became
industry-accepted and carried over to other foodindustry segments. The agency evaluated product
formulations and reviewed labels but seldom
conducted testing. For products in compliance, the
USDA issued a letter of authorization. Manufacturers
and suppliers typically obtained authorization before
marketing their lubricants to the food industry.
The USDA authorization program came to a halt in
February 1998, mainly due to lack of resources. Since
1999, NSF International has been satisfying the risk
management needs of food product manufacturers,
processors and regulators. NSF manages a registration
process for nonfood compounds, including lubricants,
used in and around food processing. It continues to
rely on the FDA guidelines mentioned previously.

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Registration
The term registration sounds ominous and obligatory. In fact, it is neither. At present, there are no legal
requirements in the United States to registerwith
NSF or anyone elsea lubricant used in food
processing. However, a company may determine
compliance and self-certify its product. Although not
required, NSF registration is becoming an industry
standard in the United States and globally. An ISO
standard (ISO 21469) is also being developed for lubricants, but there is debate about the value of imposing
another standard that appears to only add cost.
In addition to these guidelines, food plants often
want to manufacture food that addresses the needs of
specific segments of the population, including kosher
and halal foods. Typically, the lubricant used to produce
these products also must be kosher or halal certified.
While the guidelines may seem daunting, it is in the
best interest of food companies and lubricant blenders
Operation/
Industry Segment
Can seamer
machines
Steam
cooker/peeler

Freezing/baking

Unusual
Impact on
Conditions
Operation
High throughput High friction,
(up to 3,000
wear and heat
cans/minute)
production
Lubricant
High tempera- displacement,
ture and high
lube breakdown
moisture
from hydrolysis,
rust
Thermal and
High and low
oxidative breaktemperatures
down,
solidification
High loads,
contamination
with sugar
organics

Sugar mill
industry

Desired Lubricant
Property
Wear protection,
thermal and oxidative stability
Tack, hydrolytic
stability, wear and
rust protection

Thermal and
oxidative stability,
low-temperature
fluidity
Wear and load
Heat producprotection,
tion, gear wear, thermal, oxidative
lube breakdown and hydrolytic
stability

Table 1. Lubricant Challenges

Cam Ring
Combined Weight Loss
Vane Weight Loss
Weight Loss
(OEM Pass Limit)

Test
Eaton-Vickers
104C Pump Test
Eaton-Vickers
35VQ

38 mg

3 mg

41 mg (50 mg)

45 mg

7 mg

52 mg (90 mg)

Table 2. Wear Protection in an Eaton-Vickers Vane Pump Performance Test

Test Description

ASTM
Test Method

Result*

D2272

571

D943

>10,000

Rotary Pressurized Vapor Oxidation Test

(RPVOT) Minutes to 25-lb pressure loss
Turbine Oil Oxidation Test
Hours to TAN of 2
Table 3. Oxidative Stability
July - August 2007

to make every effort to comply with them to minimize

risk exposure. Additionally, additive component and
lube suppliers must follow good manufacturing practice protocols while manufacturing these lubricants.
These protocols include having a dedicated plant
(vessels, piping, and storage and packaging equipment) so there is no risk of contamination from
nonfood approved lubricants. Additionally, the protocols require extensive flushing and metal analysis to
ensure that products are free from heavy metals and
zinc, which are not permitted in H1 lubricants.

Market Trends
It is estimated that a significant proportion (60
percent or greater) of U.S. food and beverage companies
are not using incidental food-contact lubricants. Also,
companies that do comply tend to use both H1 and H2
lubricants in their plants, increasing the possibility of
using an H2 lubricant whether an H1 lubricant is
required. They may use both lubricants in a location
because they do not know about the requirements and
have performance concerns. One of the accomplishments of the NSF program is that it has heightened
awareness within the industry about using H1 lubricants.
Certain food equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
have begun offering their own branded H1 lubricants
that are recommended for use in their machinery for
warranty purposes. There is also discussion of an ISO
21469 standard for incidental food-contact lubricants,
which may become effective in early 2008 or 2009.
Finally, growing affluence in countries such as India
and China is driving up demand for prepared foods. The
demand, in turn, has spurred global companies to set up
shop in these countries. Localized, manual food operations are turning into large, mechanized operations. So
far, food processors in these countries tend not to use
H1 lubricants. But that will change as Asias food processors invest in new plants and equipment and want to use
the appropriate lubricants. Once food manufacturers
have invested in quality equipment, theyll also want to
ensure that it runs efficiently. That means using the
right lubricant. The growth in Asia is an emerging trend,
and we may not see its impact for two or three years.

The Lubricants Role

What role does the lubricant play? The food
industry uses lubricants ranging from hydraulic fluids,
gear oils, oven chain oils, compressor oils, and vacuum

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pump oils to specialty lubricants such as can seamer

oils. Plant managers realize that a single lubricant
cannot handle all these needs.
Also, plant owners and managers are demanding
increased reliability, less downtime and higher
throughput from their equipment to meet growing
demand. Preventing breakdown in order to increase
output and lower costs is on every plant managers
mind. Until recently, H1 lubricants often fell short on
performance compared to H2 lubricants. Also, H1
lubricants were not as extensively tested as H2 lubricants in common industry standard tests, such as
OEM-specified vane pump tests for hydraulic fluids.
The food industry also can present challenges to the
lubricants, as shown in Table 1.
Working on new lubricants takes creativity because
the formulator must balance component compliance
with performance demands. Additives are used to
boost lubricant performance, but blenders have a
limited pool of H1-registered additives from which to
choose. They have a wider selection of H2 additives,
which can include components based on zinc, a highly
effective antiwear agent. NSF-registered HX-1 additives that impart antiwear and antioxidant protection,
rust or corrosion inhibition, friction modification, etc.,
are available as individual components or as premixed
additive packages. Use of packages simplifies plant
operations because they can be stored in a single
vessel dedicated to food-grade lubricants.
Recently introduced lubricant additive packages
can allay performance concerns. They are intended to
deliver superior wear protection and thermal and
oxidative stability and are kosher and halal certified.
Tables 2 and 3 show an example of a hydraulic fluid
based on an HX-1-approved hydraulic additive
package that provides outstanding wear protection to
vane pumps as well as maintains excellent thermal
and oxidative stability. This means that food manufacturers can improve plant reliability and
performance and ultimately save costs. It also means
that plant managers can reduce complexity by using
H1 lubricants throughout the plant without having to
rely on H2 lubricants (or separate kosher or halal
lubricants) for performance.
Instead of being formulated with white mineral oils
that have lower solubilization and lubricity, todays incidental food-contact H1 lubricants are made with
synthetic base oils such as polyalphaolefins, polyalkylene
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glycols and esters. These base oils, coupled with new

additive packages, can deliver premium performance.
So, although finding the answers about properly
using food-grade lubricants isnt as easy as some food
equipment manufacturers and plant operators might
wish, the answers are there. Listings of NSF-Registered
Nonfood Compounds, including lubricants and the
ingredients (additives) that may be used in those lubricants, are available free on the NSF Web site
(www.nsf.org). Finished lubricants are registered as
H1; H1 ingredients/additives are registered as
HX-1. A special category, HT-1, is used for heat transfer
fluids. You can search the database a variety of ways. For
example, you may request the list of all H1 registrations, which are sorted alphabetically by registrant.
Most important is the fact that new lubricant
technologies can now answer the need for safe food
processing coupled with meeting the desires for
increased output and prevention of equipment
breakdown.

Did You Know ?

Kosher is Yiddish, meaning sanctioned by Jewish law; ritually fit for
use; or selling or serving food ritually fit according to Jewish law.
Halal is Arabic for permissible. It means sanctioned by Islamic law,
especially; ritually fit for use according to Islamic law.
Source: www.m-w.com/dictionary.

NSF
NSF International is a public health and safety company, a not-forprofit, nongovernmental organization. It is a world leader in standards
development, product certification, education and risk-management. For
60 years, NSF has been committed to public health, safety and protection
of the environment. While focusing on food, water, indoor air and the
environment, NSF develops national standards, provides learning opportunities through its center for public health education, and provides
third-party conformity assessment services while representing the interests of industry, the regulatory community, and the public at large.
NSF is widely recognized for its scientific and technical expertise in the
health and environmental sciences. Its professional staff includes engineers, chemists, toxicologists and environmental health professionals with
broad experience both in public and private organizations.
Serving manufacturers operating in 80 countries, NSF was founded in
1944 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The NSF mark is
recognized for its value in international trade around the world and is
respected by regulatory agencies at the local, state and federal levels.
Source: www.nsf.org
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