- Case Study
- Filling accuracy and Clean In Place (CIP) qualities of ultra-hygienic FaBLINE hose are vital for Casa Mendes Gonçalves in production of vinegars, sauces and seasonings
- Two-year warranty gave Casa Mendes Gonçalves assurance of a reliable hose
- Maintenance downtime, cleaning costs and energy costs are all reduced due to FaBLINE benefits
FaBLINE hoses prove longer lasting with lower maintenance
FaBLINE PTFE lined hose is ensuring filling accuracy, easy cleaning and lower maintenance downtime time for Casa Mendes Gonçalves in its production of vinegar and sauces.
Casa Mendes Gonçalves is a Portuguese company which creates vinegars, sauces and seasonings and sells to over 40 countries. Its brands include PALADIN, Peninsular and Dona Pureza, and also produces the sauces and mayonnaise for McDonald’s in Portugal and Israel.
As well as product innovation and sustainability, Casa Mendes Gonçalves prioritises technological and productive optimisation of their production site in Golegã, Santarém, to ensure it can continue expanding its business.
Casa Mendes Gonçalves uses flexible hoses for connections in filling machines for sauces and vinegars, to connect flowmeters and filling nozzles. Consistent filling accuracy, reliability and cleanability are critical requirements in all components of the process for Casa Mendes Gonçalves.
FaBLINE, a speciality food and beverage PTFE lined hose with kink-free design from Aflex Hose, part of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions, has the properties and benefits Casa Mendes Gonçalves needed for this application. 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.
“In addition to enabling stable filling, Aflex FaBLINE are hygienic hoses and protect our products, performing excellently within our CIP system.”
“FaBLINE hoses replaced the existing 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 FaBLINE hoses have a longer service life.”
The hoses Casa Mendes Gonçalves previously used were food grade rubber and silicone hoses, 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.
Aflex FaBLINE hose in place at Casa Mendes Gonçalves in Portugal
Customer assurance of reliability
For tomato sauces, colour absorption shows in silicone hose lines and cross-contamination is likely. But FaBLINE’s PTFE liner does not absorb product since 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.
Matthew Coultas, International Sales Engineer at Aflex, said: “Aside from the benefits in process of the decision to use FaBLINE hoses, all Aflex Hose products come with an industry leading 24-month manufacturer’s warranty which gives a customer assurance of a reliable product. The longevity of Aflex Hose products surpasses direct competitor products due to its highly engineered, patented designs, in-house assembly and expert technical support.
“Volumetric expansion happens in rubber and silicone hoses like those used by Casa Mendes Gonçalves before moving to Aflex. 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 therefore the amount of product which flows through the tube is permanently affected. It can be only 1-5 mL as an example, but when you are producing thousands of bottles per day it adds up.
“Due to its inert nature, the PTFE tube of FaBLINE is not affected by pressure cycles, nor temperature or chemicals commonly used in food and beverage cleaning processes, therefore a customer can be sure that Aflex hoses will keep a consistent, accurate dosage throughout its lifetime.”