10 replies to this topic

[ronam]

Not sure if anyone can help with this, I work at a food manufacturing company that blends and pouches bakery mixes. We have a company that is asking if we can pouch rock salt for ice cream makers. Now the questions is, can we fill rock salt, non food, on the same machines that are used for food? Does anyone have experience in the arena?

 

Thanks for your comments and advice. 

[dstout]

But the rock salt is going to be used for production? And must be a food grade slat then correct? 

Salt, in general, is a mineral and is all natural, even organic has nothing against salt in products. 

Make sure to have a COA or LOG stating that it's food grade.

Cheers!

[ronam]

The rock salt will not be used for manufacturing but rather pouched into bags that will be for ice cream making. This "not for human consumption" salt will be filled on machines that fill cake mixes, and the like.

Just wondering if that is even a good thing or if a wet clean after rock salt will be sufficient? 

[olenazh]

Sounds really confusing. Is the end user an ice cream manufacturer who'd use your salt as an ingredient to produce ice cream?

[TimG]

Oh ok, so this salt probably sits on the exterior of a heat transfer device (some type of metal enclosure) and never touches the actual ice cream? It's just used to create some type of low temperature water slurry?
Well, there are heavy metals in some technical grades of salt that exceed what's allowable for human consumption. I believe there are also parasitic worms depending on where they harvest the salt. These would be addressed in the purification process to meet food grade but might not be if it's a technical grade. My experience with salts is on the fully synthetic end of the spectrum, which isn't going to be much help to you. I would recommend:

• Doing a thorough analysis of the types of hazards associated with the specific salt
• Making sure you can scientifically prove your wet wash can completely remove these hazards 
• Making sure this elevated level or risk is worth the business 

 

edit: I hate typos

Edited by TimG, 26 May 2021 - 01:37 PM.

[ronam]

The salt is used in home ice-cream makers. Never used in the ice cream itself.

 

Tim you are correct, I can't imagine the risk to be worth it, but I like your advice and will pass that along to the team for discussion. 

[Scampi]

FYI, salt comes in a mryiad of varieties, I would think getting uncrushed food grade salt no YPS shouldn't be difficult

 

That's all rock salt is, uncrushed

 

Pestell Minerals is one of the leaders in the industry, I would reach out to them and get some facts, this may be a non issue

[dstout]

You could always run it at the end of the day and then perform a thorough clean on the food contact surfaces. And Fellow has good advice as well, the salt manufactures should have plenty of food grade if you want to be safe, but again, can always validate your cleaning process and run the salt after all food production...but there's risk involved there with using non-food grade. Feed grains do this often but the human consumption foods are processed prior to the animal grade food and additives. 

[Ryan M.]

Usually....inspectors or auditors will have raised eyebrows around the use of non-food grade rock salt in that application even though it is indirect.  Why?  Because you can have a crack in the jacket which can lead to the salt leeching into the ice cream.  Sure, it doesn't sound likely, but IT DOES happen....ask me how I know.

 

This is why when you use glycol coolant in heat exchangers you must have food grade glycol, and the same with steam for the same reason.

 

It isn't your problem necessarily, but something your customer will run into at some point.  As far as you pouching it for them, so long as you follow Tim's guidance you should be good.  It will be questioned by auditors and inspectors in your facility, but if you can show how you eliminate / minimize the risk then you should be ok.  It is assuredly an oddity...

[johnmcip]

I would say yes, but it needs to be considered "food grade" from start to finish. The issue here being that "food grade" is generally more expensive to produce which may make it unmarketable to those who wish to use it for non-food use, so that would be the sacrifice you have to make.

This means that your program cannot be laxed or altered from cake mix to salt. CoC inbound, maintain full program on site, ship according to SOP. What your customer does with it is their problem.

[dfreund]

Also consider if it has any chance of promoting corrosion.

 

Food grade is the easy solution.

 

As a matter of fact a salt flush can help in cleaning a machine by abrasion and easy to rinse away.