How refractory materials shape our favorite foods
Refractory materials are used in various industries that affect our daily food consumption. From packaging to processing, they help produce products that keep food fresh and safe, indirectly shaping the food and drinks we enjoy every day.
耐火材料被用于各种影响我们日常食品消费的行业。从包装到加工，它们助力生产出能保持食品新鲜与安全的产品，间接塑造着我们每天享用的食物和饮品。
Glass bottling and packaging
玻璃瓶装与包装
Glass bottles and jars are used for foods such as sauces, jams, and beverages - a quick look around your local grocery store and you'll see them everywhere. Refractories line the furnaces where these glass containers are formed, allowing for the extreme heat needed to melt raw materials into glass. This process creates containers that protect food, helping to preserve flavor and safety through non-reactive packaging.
玻璃瓶和玻璃罐被用于盛装酱料、果酱、饮料等食品 —— 在当地杂货店稍作留意，你会发现它们随处可见。耐火材料被用于制作这些玻璃容器的熔炉内壁，能够承受将原材料熔炼成玻璃所需的极高温度。这一过程生产出的容器能保护食品，通过非反应性包装帮助保持食物的风味与安全性。
Canned foods production
罐头食品生产
When it comes to canned goods, the containers themselves are often made of metals like tin or aluminum. In metal manufacturing, where extreme heat is required to smelt and refine these metals, refractory materials line the furnaces used in these processes. They provide the consistent temperatures needed to produce high-quality metals. Once formed into cans, these metals provide durable, airtight packaging that safely extends shelf life and maintains quality.
说到罐头食品，其容器通常由锡或铝等金属制成。在需要极高温度进行冶炼和精炼这些金属的金属制造过程中，耐火材料会砌筑在所用的熔炉内壁。它们提供生产高质量金属所需的稳定温度。这些金属被制成罐头罐后，能提供耐用、密封的包装，安全地延长食品保质期并保持其品质。
Ceramic cookware manufacturing
陶瓷炊具制造
Ceramics have a long history in cooking, dating back thousands of years as one of the earliest forms of cookware. Today, ceramic cookware remains popular for its durability and heat retention. During production, kilns lined with refractory materials allow ceramics to be fired at extremely high temperatures, ensuring items with consistent quality and safety during food preparation.
陶瓷在烹饪领域有着悠久的历史，是人类最早使用的炊具形式之一。如今，陶瓷炊具因其耐用性和保温性依然广受欢迎。在生产过程中，内衬有耐火材料的窑炉能以极高温度对陶瓷进行烧制，确保这些炊具品质稳定且在食品制备过程中安全可靠。
Sugar and alcohol production
糖与酒精生产
In both sugar refining and alcohol distillation, high heat plays a central role in changing raw ingredients into finished products. Refractory materials line the furnaces and boilers used in these processes, ensuring they can withstand intense and consistent temperatures. In sugar mills, refractories support the boiling stages that refine raw sugar into the crystals we know.
In some distilleries, they help maintain the steady heat required for distillation, allowing for the controlled production of spirits and other beverages.
在制糖和酒精蒸馏过程中，高温起着核心作用，能将原材料转化为成品。耐火材料砌筑在这些过程中使用的熔炉和锅炉内壁，确保它们能够承受剧烈且稳定的高温。在制糖厂，耐火材料为将原糖精炼成我们熟知的结晶糖的熬煮环节提供支持。
在一些蒸馏厂，它们帮助维持蒸馏所需的稳定温度，从而实现烈酒及其他饮品的可控生产。
Refractories in food safety
食品安全中的耐火材料
Refractories also contribute to food safety by ensuring that processing equipment can withstand high temperatures without breaking down. In food processing environments, the risk of contamination increases with temperature fluctuations or equipment failure. Refractories help stabilize these conditions, reducing the risk of contamination.
耐火材料还有助于保障食品安全，因为它们能确保加工设备在承受高温时不会损坏。在食品加工环境中，温度波动或设备故障会增加污染风险。耐火材料有助于稳定这些条件，降低污染风险。
Refractories contribute to many of the processes that bring our favorite foods from raw ingredients to our tables, quietly shaping our daily culinary experiences along the way.
来源：WRA Brussels How refractory materials shape our favorite foods.