EDITOR ’ S CHOICE LUBCON CLEAN SERIES
LUBCON
Food grade lubricants with unique formulation - the solution to avoid pathogen ’ s growth
by Dr . Martin Wünsch , Head of Research & Development , LUBCON Lubricants UK Ltd
The production of food and beverages requires a very high degree of cleanliness and industrial hygiene measures to prevent any hazards to consumer ’ s health .
As a consequence , H1 approved lubricants are mandatory for all lubricating points where incidental product contamination is technically unavoidable or possible , but unlikely . Even if product contact is utterly impossible , H1 lubricants are recommended , due to the probability of a mix-up with standard lubricants if these are used in the same area .
THREATS CAUSED BY MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION The European Machinery Directive 2006 / 42 / EC regulates ( Annex I , Section 2.1.2 .) that “ instructions must indicate recommended products and methods for cleaning , disinfecting and rinsing ”. However , in case of lubricated bearings or other sealed components it is nearly impossible to clean and disinfect the inside space properly once microbial organisms have penetrated and started growing within the grease .
Microbial contamination in the environment of food and beverages production , however , is in particular of concern for gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens , e . g ., Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Legionella pneumophilia and Bacillus atrophaeus ( see diagram ). Incidental food contact with such germ-ridden grease can cause
Based on the example of the pathogen Bacillus atrophaeus , the diagram shows the germ formation within conventional grease in comparison to a product from the newly developed LUBCON Clean Series .
Obvious evidence in a petri dish : The growth of pathogens ( here : Legionella pneumophilia ) in a grease can evidently be reduced by the unique formulation of LUBCON Clean Series .
contamination of complete production batches , resulting in serious health risks for the consumers and the need for a product recall campaign causing severe damage to the company ’ s image .
The effectiveness of preventing pathogens from growth in these newly developed lubricants could be demonstrated in incubation tests by an independent microbiological laboratory .
EFFECTIVE SOLUTION : LUBCON CLEAN SERIES WITH UNIQUE FORMULATION In order to avoid these complicated situations , the application of H1 lubricants from LUBCON Clean Series based on an innovative formulation is highly recommended .
Potential applications for LUBCON Clean Series lubricants are in particular all processes where special measures for germ control like heat , radiation , sterilization , addition of preservatives etc . are excluded , e . g ., for the aseptic cold filling of fruit juice .
For further information , please visit www . lubcon . com
26 PECM Issue 51