Food-grade means that the material is fit for human consumption or permitted to come in contact with food. Food-safe means that the food-grade material is also fit for purpose for its intended use and will not create a food-safety hazard. Food-contact surfaces must be made of nontoxic materials and designed to withstand the environment of their intended use and the action of food, and, if applicable, cleaning compounds, sanitizing agents, and cleaning procedures.
With boilers the water used to generate steam is of great importance. 3-A SSI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing hygienic equipment design for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. 3-A requires the use of safe boiler feed water. Feed water consists of both returned condensate and fresh make-up water, and should be filtered. Any contaminant in the feed water can be introduced into the steam distribution system. This includes pipe scale, sludge and debris from mechanical devices, as well as organic matter, sediment, and other suspended solids. Clean water produces clean steam and helps maintain high boiler efficiency. Filtration is a means to clean the water.
In the steam line a normal application may use an entrainment separator upstream of the culinary steam filter. A 25 micron filter element will separate
the condensate from the steam, and lengthen the service life of the culinary filter. This pre-filter removes larger contaminant, ensuring that the
culinary steam filter doesn’t clog prematurely. Culinary filters must be 95% efficient at 2 microns and larger. Often a 5 micron filter will be used.
The 300 series stainless steel filter material is a common design.
Reimers can supply electric boilers of carbon steel or stainless design producing dry steam. External steam management components can be installed to assure steam is clean and meet requirements. Bakery Saturated Steam Boilers Frequently Asked Questions
