In the food and beverage industry, valves for food are either used in direct contact with food materials or they handle the cleaning side of the industry, where water and steam are involved.
The pinch valves by AKO that are in direct contact with different food media are regulated by standards such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and others. It is important that the inside of the valve is smooth with no crevices present.
This prevents any food media becoming stuck in the gaps and allowing bacteria to grow. To avoid this, AKO valves for food have a bacteria tight design.
Stainless steel 316 is the material most commonly used for valves for food. In some cases, an aluminium body could suffice, as long as the end connections are stainless steel, which is where the food media passes through and comes into contact.
End connections can vary but the most common for food applications are either weld-on ends, tri-clamps, flanges or internally threaded sockets.
Pinch Valves for food perform better if the whole body of the valve is cast or forged into one piece, rather than made up of several components where there could be hidden cavities or the body material is more likely to have pores.
The valves for food produced by AKO pride themselves in having the following benefits:
Flexible modular system with a variety of ‘mix and match’ end connections
Extremely quick opening/closing times
40% less air consumption, saving energy
Easy to replace rubber sleeve/hose/bladder
Compact design with low weight
Cost effective solution
Excellent cleanability – easy-to- clean (CIP),
sterilisable (SIP-capable)
bacteria-tight, hygienic design
Piggable (RIP)
Valves for Food in Every Industry
Not only do these valves for food have many benefits compared to other types of valves on the market, AKO Pinch Valves are also the ideal solution for conveying and regulating almost every food application, including oily products and temperatures up to 130″C. Some of these applications involve the following food products:
