Corrosive Effect of Tomato, Pepper and Onion Pulps on Selected Grinding Machine Components

As a result of cost considerations, local grinding machine manufacturing outfits are employing non-stainless-steel components for equipment fabrication. Despite the fact that the components are known to corrode, the number of the manufacturing outfits has increased over the years. Corrosion is a major concern to the food industry because the ingestion of corroded metals can harm and affect the function of some body organs. Potentiodynamic polarization method and a weight loss approach at room temperature was used to investigate the influence of tomato, pepper, and onion pulps on the electrochemical characteristics and weight loss of mild, galvanized, and stainless steel over a period of 30 days, at 5-day intervals. The results revealed that highest corrosion rate was found in mild steel (2.95x10-8mm/y) but low compared to the corrosion value obtained for galvanized steel (3.4x10-8mm/y) in the hybrid medium. Consequently, the use of mild steel as a substitute for stainless steel is suggested, provided that it is coated, and that the machine is cleaned regularly to remove residues from the metal surface or to inhibit microbiologically induced corrosion.