Stability in fats
Grease is not an aggressive medium in the conventional sense, but despite this, contact between grease and sealing materials is not to be underestimated. In plants in the food industry, approximately 70% of seals used are made of EPDM, thereby setting the standard. With this material however, the fat content of the medium is decisive when deciding if it can be used. Although our modern EPDM materials show significantly better performance in greases that conventional materials, they still cannot be used in all processes, depending on the concentration and temperature limits. The following guideline values will provide a starting point:
- Milk with 3.5% fat can be processed up to a temperature of 80 °C
- For cream with 30% fat the temperature limit is already at 35 °C
- Butter with 82% fat can only be processed up to 8 °C
The figure illustrates the use of EPDM in context to the fat content and temperature. EPDM can be used below the line, above it you should use Fluoroprene® XP 40 if there should be no limitations for cleaning.
