UBIS Internal Lacquer BPA NI Products and its uses

Quality Internal Lacquer BPA NI Products from UBIS(ASIA)

It is well known that lacquer is a key component in the canning industry’s manufacturing process. Lacquer, also known as enamel, is a liquid form of resin dissolved in a solvent, then, when coated on a metal surface, the lacquer will dry up from solvents evaporating. The lacquer therefore performs a great job in coating the metal inside and out to prevent chemical reaction changes that could contaminates food packages in cans (protective coating) as follows:

1. Prevent changes in food flavors from potential chemical reactions between the dissolved metal and food
2. Prevent food discoloration
3. Prevent chemical reactions between metal and food that may cause corrosion of the canister or the formation of hydrogen gas inside the can.
4. Prevent discoloration of the skin inside the can, such as tin sulfide or iron sulfide, especially when packaged with meat, fish, aquatic animals, vegetables such as corn, and certain protein-rich legumes with amino acids, which contain sulfur as a component.

Lacquer Standards for Food Containers

In the subject matter industry standard “Lacquers for use with food containers” (TIS 735) classified lacquers for use in food cans into two categories:

(1) Type 1 lacquer for coating cans that have undergone thermal processing, which is further subdivided into 3 types:

• Acid-resistant type for canned food with high acidity (acid canned food).
• Sulfur resistant type for canned food with high sulfur content.
• General type for canned food other than acid and sulfur resistant type.

(2) Lacquer for coating cans that have not undergone heat treatment.

Common Type of Lacquer Coating for Cans

1. Oleoresinus Lacquer Although it is now being replaced by epoxy phenolic lacquers, it is still used somewhat in the United States for coating cans of fruit and vegetable products. In Europe, epoxy-phenolic lacquer is more often used as a replacement. Oleoresinus lacquer has poor anti-blackening properties of tin sulfide. Therefore, zinc oxide (ZnO) is now added to this type of lacquer. To help preserve the natural color of some fruit and vegetable products that contain anthocyanins (anthocyanin), such as berries, beets, red cabbage, etc., as well as for protein-containing foods such as corn, beans, duck and chicken meat, seafood, etc.
2. Vinyl lacquer has high adhesion and flexibility. However, the disadvantage is that it cannot withstand the heat of sterilization. Therefore, it is commonly used as a second layer coating on cans of beer, wine, soft drinks, desserts, and dry foods. Vinyl lacquer can be coated on both steel and aluminum. Vinyl lacquers are generally blended with alkyd, phenolic and epoxy to provide the properties required for a specific application.
3. Phenolic lacquer It is a lacquer that is chemically resistant and has low permeability especially sulfide ions. For this reason, it is commonly used for coating meat and fish cans.
4. Acrylic lacquer (acryic) is a lacquer suitable for coating cans that have to undergo thermal processing because it can withstand high temperatures. Originally, this type of lacquer was only used to coat the outside of the can. But at present, the inner coating is used to have a beautiful white color without black stains as well.
5. Epoxy phenolic lacquer is the most commonly used lacquer today for both coated cans made of steel and aluminum. Due to its acid-resistance properties, flexibilities, high adhesion and high heat resistance, this type of lacquer can also be subdivided into many more subtype which covers a wide range of applications whether it is fruit juice, vegetables, soup, meat, fish, etc.

As for BPA or bisphenol A which is found in EPOXY/PHENOLIC lacquer, is a polycarbonate chemical (Polycarbonate Plastic) which is used as an important raw material in plastic production such as plastic cups, plastic bowls, plastic water bottles, etc. BPA has properties that help strengthen products but has the disadvantage of being a carcinogen which could cause abnormalities in the cells in the human body. If exposed to heat from boiling, steaming, sterilizing, or being exposed to the sun for a prolong period, BPA could come off and mix with the food in the container, which, if consumed, those foods may affect the health of consumers. However, it is worth noting that EPOXY/PHENOLIC lacquer only contains a small and insignificant amount of BPA and the amount of which is regulated by various regulation bodies (FDA, EU, etc.)

This is where the Bisphenol A – Non Intent (BPA-NI) coating comes in. UBIS has developed BPA-NI coating to alleviate people’s health and safety concerns. It can be classified as a safe formula according to international standards with very little Bisphenol A content according to the production process and no additional additions have been made.

For can manufacturers or factories producing canned food that offers a wide variety of cans, including 2-piece DRD cans, 2-piece DWI cans, 3-piece cans, as well as a wide range of tin lid manufacturers including screw caps, steel caps, aluminum caps or plastic cap. All can choose from a wide range of BPA NI lacquers from UBIS for suitable application whether its BPA NI clear lacquer, BPA NI gold inner lacquer or BPA NI silver inner lacquer, all formulas are of high quality that meets the international standards, having more than 30 years of exporting experiences to leading food canning factories in every corner of the world.