WHAT ARE THE 3A SANITARY STANDARDS?

The 3-A Sanitary Standards are American standards related to the design and production of equipment intended for contact with food. The aim of the 3-A Sanitary Standards is to protect consumers from potential risks of food contamination. The primary purpose of the 3-A Sanitary Standards is to ensure that all the parts of an equipment are properly cleaned and sanitized in order to avoid any creation of bacterial charge. As part of the equipment, rubber or plastic hoses enter into this type of evaluation and find in the 3-A Sanitary Standards dedicated chapters and testing methods.

DOES THE 3-A SANITARY STANDARDS CERTIFICATION OFFER SUPERIOR BENEFITS OVER THE FDA?

The compliance with the FDA is the primary requirement for achieving the 3-A certification. The formulation of compounds and the migration testing according to the methods required by the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) must first prove that the ingredients of compounds are those approved by the FDA. Instead, the purpose of the 3-A is to verify that the hose material is able to withstand repeated cleaning and sterilization cycles.

WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE 3-A SANITARY STANDARDS?

Tests for compliance with 3-A are carried out through the use of simulants that reproduce the most popular cleaning and sterilization methods but at accelerated working conditions. The goal is to verify the behavior of the rubber or plastic materials tested in contact with these agents.

SOME MTG PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN TESTED 3-A SANITARY STANDARDS 18-03 WHILE OTHER PRODUCTS FALL UNDER STANDARD 20-27. WHAT DO THESE TWO STANDARDS REPRESENT AND WHY IS THIS DISTINCTION MADE?

The “Standards” of the 3-A are many and divided by product categories. For example, the 18-03 Multiple use Rubber and Rubber-like Materials is a standard specifically developed for testing rubber and/or silicone rubber compounds. Instead, the 20-27 Multiple use Plastic Materials standard is intended for plastics such as perfluoropolymer tubing.  Although these two standards are equally complex, the testing methods are different because the two materials are different in terms of both chemical composition, resistance to mechanical stress and temperature.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF 3-A SANITARY STANDARDS CERTIFICATION FOR HOSE USERS?

The purpose of the 3-A certification is to guide the customer in choosing the polymer and as a consequence the most appropriate hose for the application. The goal is to produce accurate and comparable data for a complete hose assessment. The 3-A classifies the material based on chemical-physical resistance and as a consequence to repeated cleaning and sterilization cycles. The aim is to guarantee a better sanitization of the equipment and a longer hose life over time.

To explore the MTG hoses product lines that Khanh Anh company provides with 3A Sanitary Standard certification such as Hot Alichem food hose, Steam food hose, Pharmadust pharmaceutical hose, Pharmatech hose, Pharmaflon hose, etc. or to receive advice on product applications, please contact Khanh Anh Company’s Technical Department at the following email address: kaco@inoxkaco.vn.

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