ILMA Compoundings July 2018 - 31

of the product, we sometimes find
ourselves reformulating a very good
lubricant to get around the negative
perception by our rep and their
customer," Booth added, noting that
reformulation causes additional R&D
time and cost.
It's important, notes Sanders,
for manufacturers to consider all
regulations when selecting lubricant
components: "Before an ingredient
is used, the risk toward sales and customer perception must be weighed."
It's a delicate balancing act that
must take multiple considerations
among multiple players into account.
And, according to those in this space,
the situation is not likely to become
simpler as time goes by.
In fact, Duckworth says, manufacturers need to look into the future in an
attempt to predict what new regulations
might affect them. Functional Products,
he said, is engaged in "forward-thinking
product development that might fall
under a future regulation."
has advantages in specific applications
and allows BioBlend to have a wide
range of products based on cost and
performance," he said.
As a distributor, said Arrington, "we
heavily rely on our suppliers to be up
to date with all of the new regulations
that are coming forth in this sector.
You have to partner with a manufacturer that you trust and is highly
reputable in this arena so you don't
run into potential problems after you
have provided a food-grade product to
a manufacturing customer."
Lubricant manufacturers these days,
he said, can expect new questions,
"such as which of any number of food
allergens may be in your lubricant,
or whether it contains genetically
modified organisms."
It's important, said Burkett, "to
understand the equipment and the

performance requirements of your customer; when changing from traditional
lubricants to food-grade lubricants,
always educate your customer."
Often, notes Booth, misunderstandings by end users or consumers
can affect manufacturers, who feel
the need to address concerns, even
if those concerns are unwarranted.
Sanders agreed: "In some cases, we are
finding that certain regulatory bodies
are becoming overly cautious. Because
more sensitive analysis methods have
improved detection of hazardous
ingredients, regulators seem to keep
taking the limits down to lower and
lower levels. Below certain points,
many chemicals are no longer a
hazard. Yet, because it can be detected,
we are required to recognize it."
"Because we are concerned about
how fear might affect [marketability]

New Options and
Alternatives
The industry is also continually interested in new developments that serve to
both provide the lubrication required
for safe and efficient manufacturing
processes and ensure consumer safety.
Soybean oil has long been known to be
a cost-effective base material for a wide
range of lubrication fluids that also has
an environmentally favorable footprint.
Recently, though, a new high-oleic
soybean oil that improves thermal and
oxidative stability has been introduced,
opening up a wide range of applications
for soybean oil in industrial products,
including food production.
As Robert Brentin, a technical
consultant with the United Soybean
Board, notes, while there are a lot
of lubricants that can do the job in
terms of reducing friction and wear,

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ILMA Compoundings July 2018

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