LECTURE 2: MATERIAL SCIENCE

Goal is to make you aware of the importance of Material

Selection by:
Using the right Understanding the relation • Recognizing new
material for the job. between properties, structure, design opportunities
 one that is most and processing. offered by materials
economical and selection.
Hence the study of material technology is essential in;
 “Greenest” when  Material selection
life usage is  Designing
considered
 Operation
 Maintenance
of food processing machinery and packaging materials.
Materials Science cont…
 Materials Science
 The discipline of investigating the relationships that exist between the structures
and properties of materials.
 Materials Engineering
 The discipline of designing or engineering the structure of a material to produce a
predetermined set of properties based on established structure-property
correlation.
 Four Major Components of Material Science and Engineering:
 Structure of Materials
 Properties of Materials
 Processing of Materials
 Performance of Materials
Introduction, cont.
 It all about the raw materials and how they are processed
 The interesting aspect in this context is the interaction of various
materials with food stuffs.
 Important materials in food processing technology are

 Metals  Polymers
 Steel, Cast Iron, Aluminum,  Plastics, Wood, Cotton (rayon,
Copper, Titanium, many nylon), “glue”
others  Composites
 Ceramics
 Glass, Concrete, Brick,
 Glass Fiber-reinforced
polymers, Carbon Fiber-
Alumina, Zirconia, SiN, SiC reinforced polymers, Metal
Matrix Composites, etc.
 Designing purposes

Knowledge is needed when selecting materials.

The properties to be considered are;
 Mechanical strength
 Corrosion behaviour
 Thermal conductivity
 Electrical conductivity
The material selected, critically influence the
design.
 Quality control purposes
• Testing of materials (Lab. Work)
• Failure analysis (Design Philosophy)
(i) Classical (traditional) design philosophy
 Safety factor is used as a design criteria
 Eg. Machine is intended to carry a 100kg load
 and its components has a moderate risk of failure
 a safety factor of two may be reasonable
 means that each component designed to carry a
200kg load
 (ii) Contemporary design philosophy
 Carry out failure analysis of each machine
component
 A machine is designed and produced for an
intended load(i.e. with a safety factor of one)
 The machine is gradually overloaded until
some of its components fail
 Repeated several times to identify those
components which are prone to failure
 Prone components are designed with large
safety factor
 MATERIALS FOR FOOD PROCESSING

Phrases and terminologies

Metal:- A material with relatively high electrical
and thermal conductivity
Alloy:- A metallic material consisting of a
mixture of two or more metals, or
metal(s) with non- metallic material(s).
Deformation:- Loss of original shape and figure
without falling apart
 
Ductility:-The ability of a metal to sustain large
deformation ( bend, twisted or stretched) without
fracture or failure
Fatigue:- Failure of a material caused by repeated load
Hardness:- The resistance of the surface of a
material to penetration, scratches or abrasion. This
is an essential properties of all cutting tools such as
drills, files and milling cutters
Hardenability:-The tendency of a material to be
hardened (i.e. when its hardness may be
improved substantially)
Toughness:- The ability of the material to sustain
rapid loads (impacts) without
failure. The head of hammer or sledge is a
good example of a component that is constantly
subjected to sudden shocks.
Malleability:-Ability of the material to be
worked, hammered, or shaped under
pressure or blows (into thin sheets) without
failure
Brittleness:-The property of a material to
fracture/fail with minimum
deformation.
 Criteria for Material Selection

 Suitability for food use

 Cost effective
 Resistance to corrosion
 Mechanical resistance
 Fabrication properties
Suitability for food use:
• The material should be non – toxic
• Should not import off-colours and/or off-
flavours
• Should not produce monomers.
• should not react with food.
Example;
 Cu2+ reacts with vitamin C
 PVC monomers are casinogenic
Cost effective:
 Capital costs
Installation costs
Maintenance costs
Replacement costs
Resistance to corrosion:
Consider things like:-
The type of resistance mechanism
Factors affecting resistance mechanism
Cleaning agents
Mechanical strength:
 Heat resistance
 Pressure resistance
 Vibration tolerance
 Atmospheric/climatic exposure
Fabrication properties:
 Size of the equipment
 Complexity of the equipment
 Availability of alternative materials
 Iron and steels

There are three categories of iron and steels.

i. Wrought iron (carbon content ≤ 0.05%)
ii. Mild steel (carbon content 0.05 – 2.0%)
iii. Cast iron (carbon content 2.0 – 4.0%)
Suitability of steel in food processing
 Mild steel does not posses any special
resistance to corrosion.
 Addition of some alloying elements improves
its corrosion resistance.
 
 Also coating the steel with protective covers
improves its resistance
 Mild steel is less attacked by alkaline water
than acidic water
 If corrosive fluids are being handled, then coat
the steel.
 Tin-plate (tin coat) and galvanized iron (zinc)
are common
 Currently; rubber, enamel, glass linings etc.
Alloy steels
 Specific amount of certain alloying elements
have been added.
 Enhance some desired characteristics.
 There is a wide range of alloying elements
 Each alloying element alters the behaviour of
steel in a certain way
Examples of alloying elements:
 Cr, Mo, Vn, Ni, Co improves strength and
hardness
 
NOTE:
i. Cr and Ni are of particular interest as they
significantly improve the corrosion resistance
of steel.
ii. Alloy steel are more suitable for food
processing purpose than plain carbon steels
Stainless steels
These are alloys in which chromium (Cr)
Nickel (Ni) and molybdenum (Mo) are the
major alloying elements.
 Mechanism of resistance depends on Cr2 O3
 The oxide film is stable and self – replacing
 Chromium is the main alloying element in SSs
 SS contains 14% w/w or more of Cr.
Chromised Steels
 Chromium is diffused only on the surface of
the item.
 The process is known as cromisation
 Not as good as SS
 Suitability of Stainless steels in food
processing
 Probably the most used material of in food
processing.
 Desired mechanical properties and excellent
corrosion resistance.
 It is hard, smooth, easily cleanable and
hygienic.
 Its corrosion resistance is considerably
impaired under limited supply of oxygen.
 Non – Ferrous Metals
 There are several non – ferrous metals
 Their physical and mechanical properties are
generally not as good as those of steels.
 These categories include;
– Aluminium
– Copper
– Zinc
– Tin
– Lead
1. Aluminium
 Relatively cheap
 Readily available
 Easily manipulated
 Light weight
 Good thermal and electrical conductivities
 Good resistance to corrosion
 Non-toxic
 Noble
Aluminium in food processing
 Oxide film corrosion resistance mechanism
 Self – healing oxide film
 Film dissolves readily in liquids of pH range
outside 4-9
 Hence care must be taken when;
processing very acidic products
using strong alkaline clearing agents
 Scratching oxide film may lead to corrosion
 Non–toxic qualities account for its wide use.
2. Zinc (Zn)
 Used to galvanise iron and steel items
 The item is deepen into molten Zn
 Entire surface is covered by a layer of Zinc
 Corrosion resistance relies on oxide film
 Stable and can withstand corrosion when
exposed to atmospheric conditions
sea-water attacks.
3. Tin (Sn)
 Electrolytically deposited on a metal surface
 High resistance to corrosion under;
atmospheric conditions
organic acids
 However in the presence of air;
it is readily corroded by HCl and H2SO4 acids as
well as alkalis
4. Lead (Pb)
 High resistance to oxidation in concentrated
H2SO4
 Easily attacked by HNO3
 Traditionally used in protecting water pipes
 Its use has been restricted
 Known to be carcinogenic
5. Copper (Cu)
 Moderate mechanical strength
 Very good resistance to corrosion
 resistance also depend on the oxide film
 Its use in food industry is limited due to;
its tendency to speed up the rate of many
destructive enzymes in food
it imparts to the food undesired metallic flavours
imparts to the food off–colours
Qn. Why do cupper vessels are extensive used in
the sugar, jam, confectionery and spirits
industries
 Natural and synthetic materials
 Non – metallic materials
 Extensively used in food industry
 Some found in nature
 Other are synthetic
 Examples;
rubber
plastics
wood
ceramics
glass.
 Suitability of plastics/rubber in food
 Most of the properties of plastics are those of
rubber
 Two materials share a lot of applications
 However, plastics are tougher and less elastic
than rubber
 There is a wide flexibility in the application of
plastics than rubber
Qn. Why?
NOTE: -PVC is thought to be carcinogenic when
used over a long period of time
 Suitability of wood in food
 Subject to rotting under most processing
conditions
 Unless well treated or well lined
 Extensively used for structural support
 Used to line metallic vessels to minimize
corrosion
 Extensively used in the wine industry to store
wine for several weeks (even months) to
mature
 FOOD PACKAGING
Definition:
 Is the protection of food material by means of
containers so as to isolate them from external
influence.
Functions of food packaging
 Protection of food against standard hazards
 Protection of food against other hazards
 Convenience
 Marketing role
1. Standard hazards
 Those hazards which are known to affect all
types of food products
 They are of four kinds:-
 Mechanical hazards - Due to vibrations and
compressions
 Physical hazards - refer to permeability to
water, water vapour
volatile compounds and other gases
 Chemical hazards - from different chemicals
 Microbiological hazards - originated from
existence of
microorganisms in food products.
2. Other hazards (non standard)
 Light
Lipids against rancidity
Beer against hess
 High temperature
in chocolate
Ice cream
3. Convenience
 Offers convenience during;
 Handling
 Transportation
 Distribution
 Storage
 Consumption
4. Marketing role
 size and shape of the package contributing to
the consumer preference
 TYPES OF FOOD PACKAGES
1st Primary package:
 Package that comes into direct contact with
food
 Must be compatible with the food
2nd Secondary package:
 Package that contains units of primary
packages
 Does not come into direct contact with the
food
3rd Tertiary package:
 Package which normally contains different units
of secondary packages
 Usually applied for long distance transportation
of food products
COMMON PACKAGING MATERIALS IN TANZANIA
A. Paper – based packaging
 Most extensively used material in food
packaging
 used for both, primary as well as secondary
packaging
 Treated in different ways to suit the intended
used
 Common properties of paper are;
Weak physical and mechanical strength
 Very sensitive to moisture
 High permeability to gases
 Examples of treated paper are:-
Coated papers (wax or plastic coating)
Laminated papers
Malt –walled paper
Wrappings
B. Plastic – based packaging
 Probably the most widely used materials in
food packaging
 Reasons for this wide applicability include:-
 Availability
 Different physical and mechanical properties
 Reasonable price
 Relative inertness
 Good heat saleability
 Flexibility
 The use of plastics have some drawbacks like:-
Pollution since they are not biodegradable
Their monomers are thought to be casinogenic
C. Glass – based packaging
 For primary packages of foodstuffs like
Beer
Wine
Non-alcoholic beverage
Merits of glass
 Chemically inert (not reactive)
 Impermeable to gases, water, water vapour etc
 Smooth surface, hence easy to clean and sterilize
Demerits of glass
 Very heavy
 Susceptible to mechanical damage
 Low resistance to thermal shocks
D. Metal containers
 Commonly used metals are aluminium and
stainless steel
 Other metals are not used for primary
package of food
 General advantages of metals are:-
Complete impermeability
Good Mechanical Properties
Good thermal conductivity
Total opacity