What is FDA Food Grade Silicone?
FDA food grade silicone is a silicone that has been formulated and manufactured in accordance to the Food and Drug Administration. Known for its unique and distinguishable features, FDA food grade silicone holds all the beneficial properties of silicone such as resistant to extreme temperatures, stresses and environments and can be used across a wide range of industries, particularly within the food and beverage sector.
FDA compliancy signifies that the material is safe for direct contact with food, making food grade silicone an ideal tool to be used within the manufacturing, packing, packaging, transport or holding of food.
FDA food grade silicone is used in a wide number of areas within the food processing industry, including gaskets, seals, tubing and belting and helps provide a key element of food safety for manufacturers, and customer alike.
Beneficial Features of FDA-approved Silicone Rubber
Given its versatile nature, FDA food grade silicone has become one of the most commonly used materials within the food processing industry. Some of the key beneficial features of FDA approved silicone rubber are:
- It’s temperature resistant, able to withstand extreme heat and cold from -60°C up to 230°C.
- It’s flexible and easy to mould and manipulate, while still maintaining its strength and durability, even under extreme conditions, pressures, and compressions.
- It has a strong resistance to a number of chemicals such as ammonia gas, fish oil, corn oil, sodium sulphate, vinegar and tartaric acid.
- It’s water repellent, allowing it to remain resistant to mould or fungal decay.
- It’s free of harmful fillers such as BPS and BPA, making it nom-toxic and contribut
ing to its food-safe status. - The durable nature of silicone enables its resistance to environmental and external elements such as aging, weathering and ozonation, even under strenuous working conditions.
- Non-stick properties make silicone rubber perfect for avoiding contamination, particularly within the mean industry.
- Silicone’s reusable nature means it is an environmentally friendly alternative so some of the more traditionally used materials in manufacturing.
A Few Examples of Silicone Rubber solutions in the Food Processing Industry
FDA food grade silicone rubber has become one of the most commonly used materials within the food processing industry, and for good reason. Used across a wide variety of food and beverage applications and sectors, silicone rubber is often used for:
- Gaskets for food processing machinery
- Food transfer tubing
- Dairy tubing and seals
- Vending tubing
- Brewery tubing
- Antimicrobial gaskets and seals
- Industrial oven seals
- Water purification tubing
- Food grade oven doors and seals
- FDA O-rings
Are there different grades of silicone?
There are a wide number of specialised grades and forms of silicone rubber. Some of these include:
- Extreme high temperature
- Extreme low temperature
- High tear strength
- Steam resistant
- Metal detectable
- Antimicrobial
- Low smoke, low toxicity emitting
- Flame retardant
- Chemical/acid/gas/oil resistant
Silicone rubber is also available in a range of hardness levels, with a Shore A between 30 and 80..
Silicone Engineering is equipped to service all of your food-grade silicone requirements. For more information on our food-grade silicone products, please get in touch.