Food Industry and Chemical Resistance

Food for thought—compatibility with cleansers and  disinfectants used in the food industry
Chemical cleaning and disinfecting are critical steps to guarantee food products have safe, below threshold levels of microorganisms that can reduce product shelf life and cause foodborne illness if too high. 
Food contact parts are generally cleaned before disinfecting. This helps reduce microbial contamination but serves the more important purpose of increasing the effectiveness of the powerful disinfectant that follows. 
Both sanitizing steps rely on chemicals that can crack and break plastic parts and even lead to their premature failure. Chemical attack also can cause surface etching that creates a favorable environment for microbe growth. 
Testing demonstrates Eastman Tritan^™ copolyester is significantly more compatible with cleansers and disinfectants than other polymers used in the food industry.  

Double-check disinfectant compatibility—with cleansers and with surface materials.    

Disinfectants approved for food contact surfaces have different modes of action—and levels of biocidal effectiveness. They also have different levels of compatibility with cleansers and surface materials.

• If incompatible with a cleanser or sanitizer, any chemical agent left on the surface may neutralize the activity of the disinfectant.
• If incompatible with the surface material, the resulting chemical attack can compromise the functionality of the surface. 

Be sure to read the labels of all disinfectants to confirm compatibility with your cleanser of choice and surface material.

Tritan is compatible with many common cleansers and disinfectants

Table 1 shows the results of compatibility tests measuring impact properties retained after contact with common products.
 

Let us know if you have questions about the chemical resistance of Tritan to a specific disinfectant, cleanser, or sanitizer.