Rice cakes are easy on the waistline, but cleaning the equipment they are cooked on is not so easy. Because rice cakes are delicate and readily break apart, grain residue on machine parts is a major source of product damage, machine downtime and, ultimately, lost revenue. A rice cake manufacturer recently turned to us to help solve its sticky residue issues and minimize cleaning frequency.

To create the disc-shaped snacks, manufacturers must expand and meld the rice grains. Typically, the grains are heated inside a steel pan while a cylinder presses on them until they “pop” and fill the mold. Once formed, the cakes are released onto a conveyor for spraying with various seasonings and flavors. The high temperatures and pressures involved in the cooking process resulted in baked-on, burnt rice sticking to the pistons and rings of our customer’s baking equipment, causing pauses in production to clean the parts. Our customer knew that a coating would remedy the issue, but cooking temperatures in excess of 475°F left few options. After testing many coatings from different suppliers, they were unable to find one that provided the required level of release while withstanding the high heat.

The search ended when we applied our Nedox® 10K3 surface treatment to the steel parts. This PFAS-free coating delivers the superior mold-release properties of our Nedox family in a USDA- and FDA-compliant, high-temperature composition. These compliance codes make several Nedox coatings particularly suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications where product residue tends to cling to machinery. Nedox also performs exceptionally well in washdown-intensive environments, making cleanup and sanitation maintenance quicker and easier. Additional features and characteristics of Nedox include:

• Surface hardnesses up to Rc 68.
• Prevents abrasive wear and galling.
• Chemical, acid and alkaline resistance.
• Operating temperatures from -250 to +950°F, depending on the composition.

Thanks to Nedox 10K3’s excellent release properties and its ability to survive the high-temperatures of rice cake production, the manufacturer reports no sticking issues and reduced downtime for cleaning. When caked-on food substances put product quality and machine availability at risk, be sure to discuss your application with our experts in order to determine the right surface treatment for your equipment.

For more information about our Nedox family of coatings, including our 10K3 composition, please visit our product page.