Food & Beverage Gaskets & Seals
Hygienic sealing materials that survive your CIP cycle and satisfy your auditor.
Food and beverage processing puts gaskets through a punishing cycle: caustic washes at 85 °C, acid rinses, and steam sterilisation (SIP — Sterilise-in-Place at 121–135 °C for 15–30 minutes). Then they need to seal cleanly for the next production run. We supply FDA-compliant and metal-detectable sealing materials to Australian food processors. Batch traceability documentation is available when your auditor asks.
Sealing Through Every Process Stage
Raw Material Intake
Pumps & Valves
Milk tanker connections, juice receiving lines, bulk ingredient transfer. Tri-clamp gaskets in FDA-grade silicone or white EPDM handle raw product at 4–20 °C — cold enough that most elastomers cope, but CIP compatibility matters more than temperature here. Metal-detectable variants add a safety layer from the very first connection point.
Processing & Pasteurisation
Heat Exchangers & Vessels
This is where thermal cycling does real damage. Plate heat exchangers run at 72 °C (HTST), 85 °C (high-temperature pasteurisation), or 135–150 °C (UHT), heating up, cooling down, then heating again, shift after shift. EPDM handles standard pasteurisation well. For UHT zones above 120 °C, you're looking at FKM or PTFE.
Mixing & Fermentation
Vessels & Agitators
Brewery fermentation tanks, wine vats, sauce mixing vessels: any large vessel with a manway, agitator shaft seal, or sight glass needs a food-grade O-ring. FDA silicone or EPDM are the go-to choices. The catch: these seals sit in mildly acidic product (pH 3.0–4.0 for wine, pH 4.0–4.6 for beer) and can't transfer taste or odour.
Clean-in-Place (CIP)
The Critical Stage
This is the stage that destroys most gaskets, and it's the one we get asked about most. A typical CIP sequence: caustic wash (1–2% sodium hydroxide) at 75–85 °C, acid rinse (nitric or phosphoric, 0.5–1.5%) at 60–70 °C, then a peracetic acid sanitiser at 0.1–0.3%. EPDM and silicone handle this cycle. NBR and natural rubber? They don't. Caustic causes swelling and premature failure, sometimes within weeks.
Filling & Packaging
Line Speed Matters
Filling valve seats, capper gaskets, conveyor guide seals. Temperature isn't the issue here. Mechanical wear is. These seals run thousands of cycles per shift at ambient temperature. FDA silicone works for liquid fills; PTFE is the better pick for acidic or oily products. And every seal point downstream of the last detector should be metal-detectable. No exceptions.
CIP Survival
No elastomer survives every CIP chemical. EPDM handles caustic and peracetic acid but fails with petroleum-based lubricants. Silicone tolerates broad temperature ranges but tears under high-pressure spray. NBR swells in caustic above 60 °C. Always verify against the specific chemicals and concentrations in your CIP programme — our chemical compatibility database covers over 200 media.
Materials Matched to Food Processing
Generic elastomers don't last. CIP chemicals — caustic, acid, sanitiser — attack them within months. The materials below are what we actually recommend for food processing lines, based on how they hold up through repeated wash cycles.
The first choice for dairy, beverage, and bakery product contact — non-toxic, tasteless, and good from -60 °C to +230 °C. One thing worth specifying: platinum-cured grades for anything touching product directly. They have fewer extractable by-products than peroxide-cured. Meets FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 and EC 1935/2004.
FDA-compliant and peroxide-cured for low extractables. Shrugs off caustic and acid CIP cycles at 75–85 °C. Rated -50 °C to +150 °C continuous, which covers everything except UHT. It's also significantly cheaper than silicone, so it's our standard recommendation where the temperature window fits.
If a gasket fragment breaks off into the product stream, you need it caught. These blue or grey elastomers contain metallic fillers that standard metal detection equipment picks up reliably. We stock them in silicone and EPDM for CIP-exposed lines, plus NBR for non-CIP mechanical service (pump seals, gearbox covers) where caustic resistance isn't required.
When no single elastomer can handle your CIP chemistry, virgin PTFE usually can. Near-universal chemical resistance, FDA-compliant per 21 CFR 177.1550, rated -200 °C to +260 °C. A strong choice for flanged connections in chemical transfer lines. The trade-off: it cold-flows under sustained load, so bolt torque and flange design matter.
UHT lines and oily product contact are where FKM earns its keep. It handles fats, oils, and hydrocarbon cleaning agents that degrade cheaper elastomers. Operating range: -20 °C to +205 °C. Costs more than EPDM or silicone, but it's the right call for thermal cycling above 120 °C.
An FEP or PFA jacket over a silicone or FKM core, giving you PTFE's chemical resistance without its tendency to cold-flow. We recommend these for lines that switch between aggressive CIP chemicals and product contact, where picking one elastomer means compromising somewhere.
For chocolate fats, citrus essential oils, dairy concentrates, and flavour-house duty where standard FKM swells. FFKM holds its sealing force across the broadest chemical envelope of any elastomer. FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 compliant grades available, rated -10 °C to +260 °C. The cost is significant, but justified where confectionery, citrus, or flavour processing is on the line.
Conventional vs. Hygienic Gasket Practice
Standards & Certifications
These are the food-safety standards our materials certify against. Whether you're buying to satisfy an auditor, fulfil a QA requirement, or validate CIP resistance — the relevant framework is listed below.
FDA 21 CFR 177.2600
The baseline for any elastomer touching food product. Sets extractive limits and composition requirements; if your gasket doesn't meet 177.2600, it shouldn't be in the process line. We supply silicone, EPDM, and FKM compounds formulated and tested to this standard.
EC 1935/2004
If you export to Europe — or supply a company that does — this regulation applies to your gaskets. It requires that food-contact materials don't transfer harmful constituents or alter food composition. We carry EC 1935/2004-compliant grades for processors who need dual certification.
EC 2023/2006 (GMP)
The EU Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for food-contact materials, a companion to EC 1935/2004. It requires documented quality management for every stage of material production, from raw compound through finished gasket. If you export to Europe, your auditor will ask for GMP compliance alongside the 1935/2004 framework declaration.
3-A Sanitary Standard 18-03
The standard dairy processors ask about most. 3-A 18-03 (Multiple-Use Rubber and Rubber-Like Materials) is the elastomer-specific clause Fonterra and Bega QA look for in supplier packs. Requires gaskets to form flush interior surfaces, resist CIP chemicals, and be removable for inspection — no crevices, no dead legs. Our tri-clamp gaskets profile to flush interior surfaces that meet 3-A 18-03 cleanability requirements.
AS/NZS 4020:2018 (Amd 1:2022)
Mandatory where your process connects to potable water supply, which covers most food plants. Tests for taste, odour, appearance, and cytotoxicity of materials in contact with drinking water. Amendment 1 (2022) added NDMA testing for elastomers in monochloraminated water, relevant where Australian utility supply is used. We supply EPDM and PTFE materials tested and certified to AS/NZS 4020.
BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety
When a BRCGS auditor asks for your food-contact material controls, gaskets are on the checklist. This GFSI-recognised certification requires documented traceability from supplier through to installation point. Our material certificates and batch records are formatted to support BRCGS audit documentation.
SQF (Safe Quality Food) Code
GFSI-benchmarked food safety and quality programme widely adopted in Australian food manufacturing. Material traceability and supplier control are core SQF requirements we help customers meet.
EHEDG Guidelines
Hygienic design guidelines focused on one thing: eliminating crevices where product and bacteria can harbour. EHEDG principles drive gasket selection toward flush-mount profiles with smooth, cleanable surfaces. Our tri-clamp and flange gaskets are profiled for crevice-free sealing that supports EHEDG compliance.
HACCP Principles
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is the systematic food safety framework widely adopted in Australian food manufacturing under FSANZ Standard 3.2.1. Metal-detectable gaskets address HACCP requirements for foreign body control at critical control points downstream of the last detection system.
FDA Compliance Terminology
FDA does not "approve" gasket materials. The correct terminology is "FDA compliant" or "meets FDA 21 CFR 177.2600." We provide material Certificates of Compliance confirming formulation conformance. These are not FDA approval letters, which do not exist for raw materials.
Operations handling pharmaceutical ingredients, food supplements, or contract manufacturing with pharma-grade requirements can find USP Class VI and ASME BPE-compliant materials on our Medical & Pharmaceutical industry page.
Products for Food & Beverage Processing
Engineering Guides for Food & Beverage
We maintain reference tools and guides to help you select the right gasket material and type for each stage of your food processing line.
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Ready to Discuss Your Food & Beverage Requirements?
Send us your CIP chemistry and cycle temperature. We'll recommend the right FDA-compliant material and the conformance documentation your auditor will ask for.
- FDA and EC 1935/2004 compliant materials in stock
- Metal-detectable and X-ray visible options available
- Batch traceability and Certificates of Compliance available on request
Disclaimer
This page is provided for general engineering reference only and does not constitute professional advice, specification, or guarantee of performance. Actual results depend on specific application conditions. Universal Gaskets Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for decisions made based on this information. For full terms, see our Terms & Conditions.
Temperature ranges, chemical resistance ratings, and mechanical properties cited on this page are typical values for standard grades. Actual performance varies with compound formulation, filler package, and service conditions — contact us to confirm suitability for your specific application.