Hoses chosen because they don’t suffer from volumetric expansion

26 March 2024

Casa Mendes Gonçalves is a Portuguese company which manufactures a range of branded vinegars, sauces and seasonings as well as supplying foodservice companies.

The company relies on the use of flexible hoses for connections to filling machines for its sauces and vinegars and to connect flowmeters and filling nozzles. Consistent filling accuracy, reliability and cleanability are critical requirements for these components and the company now relies on FaBLINE – a speciality food and beverage PTFE lined hose with kink-free design from Aflex Hose, part of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions. The hose has the properties and benefits needed for use in the facility.  Aflex’s PTFE liner does not suffer from volumetric expansion (a regular cause of inaccurate dosage), while the patented design of the liner supports a significant improvement in number of dosing cycles in a dynamic application such as filling machine flexibles. 

FaBLINE is backed by European Food Contact and FDA certification and is an ultra-hygienic hose product with full compatibility with Clean In Place (CIP) and Steam In Place (SIP) process media and temperatures. The FaBLINE hoses replaced hoses which were fitted using typical hose clamps. Because FaBLINE hoses are crimped and hygienic, they allow for better cleaning through the CIP process that is carried out in this equipment. “From the maintenance records we maintain we can also see that these hoses also have a longer service life,” said Carlos Prino, Head of Maintenance at Casa Mendes Gonçalves. “In addition to enabling stable filling, Aflex FaBLINE are hygienic hoses and protect our products, performing well within our CIP system. 

The previously used hoses were food grade rubber and silicone, which displayed hold-up points at the end-fittings as well as being made from materials which are known to commonly absorb and leach particles between processes. This resulted in extensive cleaning cycles, which reduced productivity through lost time in operation and increased maintenance duties for operators. 

For tomato sauces, colour absorption shows in silicone hose lines and cross-contamination is likely. But the PTFE liner in the FaBLINE hose does not absorb product because it is an inert material, with easy cleanability and resistance to all common cleaning agents which reduces cleaning cycles in frequency and duration. This ultimately reduces cost in maintenance downtime – disconnecting and reinstalling hoses - and energy and chemical usage for cleaning.

Volumetric expansion can occur in rubber and silicone hoses like those originally used by Casa Mendes Gonçalves. Pumping cycles and pressure causes the hoses to expand and contract between each dosage. Over quite a short time this expansion of these materials becomes permanent and so the amount of product which flows through the tube will be permanently affected.

Contact Details and Archive...

• Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group

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