Regarding Aluminium Coating

Stop Using Aluminum!!!

Aluminum has been directly linked to causing Alzheimer's disease! It will leach into the food and poisons your customers! Any coating will break down over time.

http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?pagetype=article&id=1958

http://home.earthlink.net/~joannefstruve/_wsn/page3.html

http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/alzheimers_and_aluminum_toxicity.html

etc. etc. etc.

Latest research now back tracks on aluminium and brain problems. It was thought to be conclusive but now it is not proven.

Don't believe it. There will always the naysayers - probably supported by the aluminum industry.

The fact is the alzheimers patients show an increased amount of aluminum - 10 to 20 times normal, (and sometimes other metals) in the brain. What is not known is the exact process or form of the aluminum poisoning. It may not be a direct cause. It may be caused by a combination of renal failure and either high aluminum intake or simply an aluminum accumulation over time. Something else could be causing the body to accumulate aluminum instead of passing it.

But the undeniable fact is: Alzheimers patients have a large buildup of aluminum in the brain.

If you don't know what may be causing the aluminum build-up, you can't avoid it. The next best risk avoidance technique would be to minimize aluminum ingestion.

They may have but there is NO physical correlation between the two things.

Also, it all depends on the quality of the aluminium. Some poisoning did occur due to kitchen utensils dissolving due to food acidity.

Reclaimed aluminium and other metal scraps were used.

See: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Recyclage

Google translation:

After the Second World war the shortage of energy and metal resulted in redesigning under very bad conditions all kinds of aluminium alloys to make of them domestic utensils and other objects not requiring very high mechanical characteristics. The composition of metal thus obtained was random and the founders qualified it "cochonium". This bad quality was noted easily on the pans and other pots which were not long in being pricked (pitting), to even bore, under the effect of the acidity of food. The long-term consequences of a food polluted by aluminium were evoked above.

a coating of clear solventless epoxy should do the trick. After polymerization I believe epoxy is non toxic and has been used as coatngs on the insides of containers for food. It would stop corrosion of the alluminum or any other metal that is in contact with food. It will be important to see what temperatures it is exposed to as there is a limit to the stability of the epoxy coating in high temperatures when it can become soft and maybe contaminate the food.

You may coat ceramics on the aluminum using deeping method. I can solve the problem. please contact me kanghyun6@yahoo.com

I would guess that anodizing followed by a coating such as the last reply talked about would be the best method. Depending on the treatments, it may actually be cheaper to go with a high quality stainless steel replacement.

I recommend you contact the FDA (http://www.fda.gov/, there is a contact link at the bottom). They will be able to tell you what is acceptable for food use.

I did a quick search on their site for aluminum, and it looked like they believe the source of Al in people related to health problems comes mainly from additives in vitamins and foods, not processing equipment. eg not Al or aluminum oxide, but more complex compounds containing aluminum used for carrying vitamins and coloring. I didn't read anything in depth, so that might be wrong.

Agree it would probably cheaper and safer to switch to stainless

That is a large piece of aluminum. Unless it is stiffened, the vibration and oil-canning will fracture any coating. Any vinegar in the product could also be reducing (actually oxidizing) the life of the cover. Any steam would be of no help. Temperature changes also are worse on aluminum.

Stainless, or food grade plastic, would be far better.

If i remember right, er. What was I saying?

RichH