Compressed Air Best Practices - September 2008 - (Page 18) | 09/08 Focus Industry FOOD PACKAGING & PROCESSING | Food-Grade COMPRESSED AIR SPECIFICATIONS BY ROD SMITH Compressed air systems play an important role in food processing and packaging. Compressed air can come into DIRECT or INDIRECT contact with food products and/or ingredients. Contaminants (notably oil, bacteria carried by moisture and solid particulates) may be present in the compressed air if not removed before contact with the food application occurs. The objective of this article is to encourage food-processing and packaging corporations to create a compressed air specification for their process. The article will provide a review of some “Codes of Practice” in existence. As each situation is unique, the objective of this article is not to recommend any certain specification. United States Code The only current code in the U.S. applicable to compressed air is centered upon what lubricants are permitted to be used — namely by the air compressor. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specification is identified under “Lubricants with incidental food contact”. The specification is summarized as allowing: 1. 2. 3. “0” ppm non food-grade lubricant “10 ppm” food-grade lubricant Food-grade lubricants are identified as “H1 lubricants” by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use on equipment where the possibility of incidental contact exists Non food-grade lubricants are identified as “H2 lubricants” by the USDA for use on equipment where there is no possibility of contact 4. 18 www.airbestpractices.com http://www.airbestpractices.com
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