Industry Overview
The food processing industry demands extremely high hygiene and safety standards for sealing materials. All materials in direct contact with food must comply with international food contact standards such as FDA and EU 10/2011. Traditional sealing materials like NBR and EPDM have limitations in high-temperature resistance and food media resistance, while FKM fluoroelastomer, with its excellent high-temperature resistance, grease resistance, and chemical inertness, has become the ideal choice for food processing equipment seals. Meanwhile, PFA and FEP non-stick coatings are widely used in food processing equipment, and PTFE emulsion is the core raw material for cookware non-stick coatings.
FUERTAI provides a full range of food-grade sealing and coating material solutions. All food contact materials comply with FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 and EU 10/2011 standards, ensuring food safety compliance.
Core Material Solutions
Food-Grade FKM Seals: FKM seals compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, using peroxide cure systems free of nitrosamines and other harmful substances. Food-grade FKM seals offer excellent resistance to fats and oils (animal/vegetable oils, dairy fats), steam, and cleaning agents, widely used in food processing equipment, beverage filling equipment, and dairy equipment seals. Seal colors are typically white or blue for easy identification and fragment detection.
PFA Non-Stick Coatings: PFA thin-coat powder provides food-grade non-stick coatings with thickness of 0.1-0.3mm, offering excellent non-stick performance and good wear resistance. PFA coatings comply with FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 and can be used for frying pans, baking trays, and baking molds. PFA coatings withstand temperatures up to 260°C for high-temperature cooking and baking, with smooth, dense surfaces that resist bacterial growth.
FEP Spray Coatings: FEP spray powder provides food-grade anti-corrosion non-stick coatings with thickness of 0.2-0.5mm, offering excellent chemical resistance and non-stick properties. FEP coatings are suitable for internal wall anti-corrosion and non-stick treatment of food processing mixers, conveyor belts, and hoppers, effectively preventing food adhesion and cross-contamination.
PTFE Non-Stick Coatings: PTFE emulsion is used for cookware non-stick coatings, serving as the core raw material for traditional non-stick pan coatings. PTFE coatings have the lowest coefficient of friction (0.04-0.10), providing exceptional non-stick performance while resisting temperatures up to 260°C and various food media. PTFE emulsion can also be used for surface coatings on guide rails, sliders, and other low-friction components in food processing equipment.
Food-Grade Piping: PVDF pipes comply with food contact standards (FDA 21 CFR 177.2600) and can be used for food and beverage transport piping. PVDF pipes feature smooth inner walls that do not adsorb organics, are easy to CIP clean, and are suitable for clean piping systems in dairy, beverage, and condiment factories.
Technical Highlights
| Material Type | Regulatory Standard | Max. Service Temp. | Key Properties | Typical Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food-grade FKM | FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 | 200°C | Grease/steam resistance | Equipment seals |
| PFA Coating | FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 | 260°C | Non-stick/wear resistance | Cookware coating |
| FEP Coating | FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 | 200°C | Non-stick/corrosion resistance | Equipment interior |
| PTFE Emulsion | FDA 21 CFR 177.1550 | 260°C | Low friction | Cookware/guide rails |
| PVDF Piping | FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 | 140°C | Clean/easy to clean | Transport piping |
Key technical considerations for food-grade materials:
- Regulatory Compliance: All food contact materials must provide FDA or EU declarations of compliance and pass overall migration testing (OML ≤60mg/kg) and specific migration testing (SML)
- Color Selection: Food-grade seals are recommended in white or blue for easy fragment detection in food (blue provides high contrast with food colors)
- Cure System: Food-grade FKM must use peroxide cure systems to avoid potential nitrosamine risks from bisphenol AF cure systems
- CIP Compatibility: Food processing equipment requires regular CIP cleaning (acid wash + caustic wash + steam sterilization); sealing materials must resist cleaning agents and steam
Application Cases
Dairy Equipment Seals: A dairy company's pasteurizer seals exposed to dairy fats and steam at 140°C, using food-grade white FKM O-rings with peroxide cure, passing FDA migration testing, service life exceeding 12 months.
Baking Mold Coating: A food company's baking molds using PFA thin-coat powder coating, coating thickness 0.15mm, excellent non-stick performance with release rate >99%, passing FDA food contact testing, service life exceeding 2 years.
Beverage Transport Piping: A beverage factory clean piping system using PVDF pipes and fittings, inner wall Ra<0.4μm, passing microbiological testing after CIP cleaning, 5 years of contamination-free operation.
Selection Recommendations
FUERTAI recommends following the ’Compliance First, Conditions Matched’ principle for food-grade material selection: First confirm the food contact regulatory requirements for the target market (FDA/EU/GB), then select compliant material types and grades, and finally determine specifications based on service conditions (temperature, media, cleaning method). Food-grade FKM seals are recommended with peroxide cure in white or blue; for non-stick coatings, select PFA (high-temperature) or FEP (medium-temperature) based on service temperature. FUERTAI provides regulatory compliance consulting, FDA test reports, and volume supply services.
