2. Applications in the food industry

Electroless nickel has found numerous applications in the food industry. However, no deposit has received official global approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Only stainless steel, which is widely used for manufacturing equipment, benefits from such approval.

The FDA [15] assimilates materials in contact with food with the food components themselves, due to the possibility of migration of the former into the latter. Official approval can therefore only be granted on a case-by-case basis.

When equipment manufacturers seek (for reasons of price or manufacturing problems) to replace stainless steel, they turn to aluminum alloys, carbon steels or "low-end" stainless steels. In such cases, it is often necessary to protect these economical materials with an easy-to-clean...