If there’s one industry that needs reliable sealing solutions, it’s food and beverage processing. Mechanical failure or a contamination leak not only causes expensive downtime for repairs, the consequences of a tainted product can be devastating for the brand when publicised.

We examine aspects of seal design for the food and beverage industry and the challenging conditions to which seals are exposed.

Food and beverage sealing solutions

In the beverage industry, fruit juice production can include low pH fruit, which means the sealing material needs to be matched. The aggressive cleaning fluids used to flush out the system mean that the elastomer or plastic seal used must be up to the job.

Producing ice-cream has its own challenges, including the high fat content of the product and fruit pieces. Any sealing solutions must handle radical changes in temperature, from steam sterilisation of around 140°C to production temperatures of 0°C or lower.
 

Challenges of making chocolate

The challenges of making chocolate highlight the importance of using material suited to the job. Chocolate production is a particular challenge for seals because of the ingredients. These include fat and oil, additives such as nuts, raisins or pieces of candy that cause abrasion. This abrasive quality is exacerbated when sugar crystallises during the manufacturing process, then rubs against the seals.

Chocolate also has a range of temperatures, from hot for moulding to cool for packaging and storage. Sealing cocoa powder containers is important when transferring the powder around the facility. Vapours or mist created by escaped power is highly combustible.

The sterility of the material is also a consideration, since there must be hygienic connections throughout the process. Seals must be able to withstand high pressure water jets during cleaning.

This brief exploration of the challenges of seal systems in food and beverage processing demonstrates how important material choice is when designing a seal.