New mixing and blending technologies for the food industry Mixing in a microwave, sanitary safeguards, vacuum and

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Scott Jones 7/29/2013

This paper defines two types of new technology: sustaining and disruptive and how Industrial Processing Equipment Manufacturers offer new disruptive innovation to meet their customers demands.

Many types of industrial mixers and blenders have been produced for food and beverage processors over the years. Some common types include: paddle, ribbon, conical, fluidized bed, impeller, planetary, screw, static and turbine mixers. However, a considerable degree of standardization in mixing equipment has been reached. What new technologies are influencing industrial mixer designs? Custom design mixer manufacturers are a good barometer for technical innovation. Here are a dozen technologies that rate high on food processors wish lists: 1. Mixer process control (programmable controls) 2. Network capabilities 3. Variable speed drives (agitator speed controllers) 4. Safety components 5. Bearing and seal design (prevention of product leakage) 6. Wear resistance and maintenance 7. Sanitary mixing 8. Precise temperature control 9. Easy cleaning (CIP) 10. Wide variety of discharge options 11. Measurement capabilities (moisture, temperature, etc.) 12. Microwave, vacuum and pressure ratings Before we get into these new technologies Id like to mention some emerging global trends we are seeing in food processing and advanced manufacturing. Advanced manufacturing processes will likely be more energy and resource efficient in the future, as companies strive to integrate sustainable manufacturing techniques into their business practices to reduce costs, to decrease supply-chain risks and to enhance product appeal with customers. Achieving truly flexible manufacturing facilities requires advanced processing machines capable of rapidly changing to new designs and new materials, which not only shorten product-development cycles but also make facilities more robust against supply-chain disruptions. Additionally, this enhances bottom line profitably. New technology can be separated into two categories: sustaining and disruptive. Sustainable technology relies on incremental improvements to an already established technology; or in other words, the better mousetrap or in other words, continuous process improvements. Microwave mixing A new disruptive technology developed by two equipment manufacturers located in the heartland of the United States is an example of a disruptive technology for the food processing industry. Marion Mixers and AMTek Microwaves design and manufacture industrial-sized microwave mixers to
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process everything from powdered eggs and growth supplements to elastomers used in the automotive industry. In recent years they have conducted research on many different cooking, drying, tempering, sterilization and pasteurization applications. The typical microwave mixing system consists of four components: a customized mixing vessel, a RF transmitter, waveguide and controls. Microwave Mixer systems are custom designed with mixing capacities that range from 10 cu. ft. to 560 cu.ft in size. Smaller lab-size units are also available. High power electromagnetic energy is created in a 75 kW transmitter operating at 915MHz. Low speed, gentle agitation in a paddle-style, horizontal mixer provides uniform heat distribution with superior product quality. The combined action of mixing and drying using microwave energy provides faster, more cost effective heating, higher energy efficiencies and better product quality. Its ideal for processing: gravies, sauces, chilies, soups, syrups, pet foods, spices, bakery products, jams and jellies, salad dressings, snacks, candy, confectionary items, meat products and canned fruits & vegetables. This is all accomplished with a high degree of safety and simple maintenance and cleaning requirements. Mixing in a vacuum With the right combination of equipment and technique, vacuum can make your process line more productive and your plant environment safer. Following are a few of the processes and benefits mixing in a vacuum can provide: Deaeration Vacuum deaeration is achieved when mixing liquid, slurry or paste ingredients within a vacuum. Air bubbles are extracted from the final product as the agitator mixes the ingredients. Food grade products like syrup, oil and chocolate liquor require deaeration to make the final product visually pleasing to the customer. The visual appeal of an air-free product is often a powerful competitive advantage. In addition, a batch that has been agitated and deaerated under vacuum winds up more dense than it was initially. This allows you to mix more efficiently and ship the product more economically. Also with densification, the physical properties of the end-product are often improved. Deoxidation Deoxidation is the removal of oxygen. This helps prevent the degradation of sensitive ingredients and unwanted chemical reactions during the mix cycle. It also minimizes microbial growth. Vacuum Blanketing Vacuum blanketing is used when processing ingredients in the absence of air. An inert gas is injected into the vessel which blankets the material. Producers of bakery premixes with high levels of shortening or fat use CO2 to cool the ingredients. This keeps the ingredients flowable until they are evenly mixed.

Microwave Vacuum Processing Many of the advantages of mixing, blending and drying under vacuum have been recognized for years in the food industry. However, microwave vacuum drying is relatively new. Microwave vacuum drying is an excellent method for removing moisture or vapor from heat-sensitive materials without fear of thermal degradation. Pulling a vacuum inside the mixer lowers the boiling point of liquids. This creates a pressure gradient that changes the drying rate and facilitates drying at a faster pace due to lower operating temperatures. This efficient dehydration method can yield unique characteristics which may improve product quality compared to conventionally dried products. The microwave energy penetrates the interior of the food where it is converted to thermal energy. This provides a rapid heating mechanism and shorter batch times. Drying can typically occur in minutes rather than hours or days compared to other conventional drying methods. Another advantage is superior product quality. The vaporization of water provides an expansive force to maintain an open cellular structure in dried product, which translates into excellent rehydration rates. For products consumed in the dry state, a unique crisp texture can be achieved. Microwave vacuum processing, with its unique characteristics has also been utilized for tempering, thawing and inactivation or preservation of enzymes and microorganisms. The uniform heat distribution is achieved with gently, mixing agitation. Sanitary Mixing There is probably nothing more important in the Food Industry than maintaining a high standard of aseptic and hygienic processing. Consider the many adverse affects of a product recall. In the United States, mixer manufacturers elect to maintain their own sanitary equipment standards. Some manufacturers, such as Marion Mixers, write their own mixing and blending equipment standards that comply with the principles of 3A-Sanitary and global standards. These standards cover the sanitary aspects of blending equipment used for combining and/or mixing either wet or dry products. Better Main Shaft Seal Design The maintenance cost to repair main-shaft seals in a shaft-driven mixer are time consuming and costly. For example certain flour, sugar or spice blends may get less than 1 month wear life out of expensive mechanical seals. New innovative sanitary shaft seal products are now available that help prevent product leakage and have longer wear life. Some of these benefits and features include: Clean in place (CIP) designs Positive installations (no cutting required to fit)
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New Shaftfriendly materials Non-intrusive material (unlike packing that can be porous and hold media) Wont degrade like packing Easy disassemble (can be washed and reused) Proven, longer run times compared to other seals Sanitary-compliant materials These new lip seals will outperform stuffing box seals, are less expensive than mechanical designs and can be disassembled, cleaned and re-installed in less than 5 minutes. For liquids, slurries and many other 3A-sanitary applications a single lip, non split-design is available. Advanced process control equipment Creating an efficient mixing or blending system is a balancing act. Throughput must be balanced against batch size, agitator sizes, motor sizes, shear and tip speeds, viscosity, thermal capacity, moisture, temperature and pressure ratings, energy costs, labor costsand a many other variables. Jayesh Tekchandaney, founder of the popular online site Mixer Expert states, Todays competitive production systems necessitate robust equipment that are capable of faster blend times, lower power consumption and adaptability of equipment for use with multiple products. He adds, Many modern mixers are designed to combine different processing steps in a single equipment, e.g. coating, granulation, heat transfer, drying, and so on. A mixer is no longer a generic production tool, but a critical and decisive business tool. This is because profitability and competitive advantage are dependent upon subtle improvements in product quality through gains in mixing performance and efficiency. Marion Mixers understand the mixing process has never been more complex. With a wide range of equipment choices and competitive pressure to optimize performance, the specification of process control equipment is extremely important. This requires solid custom-design engineering capabilities. The control system must balance the need for precision, consistency and adjustability against the need to manage resources. Testing is essential Testing plays an important role in selecting and optimizing mixing and drying equipment. Fully equipped test centers use some of the latest technologies in processing. If you have a new material that must be tested or if knowledge of your material is limited, you need to test test your special material.

At Marion Mixers some of the test data we provide includes: Moisture % Bulk density Energy consumption Decibel level Airflow in cfm Rf energy absorption characteristics Mass balance Application and Design Engineers are on hand to assist customer mixing, blending or drying applications. The Marion Mixers Test Facility offers processors the opportunity to test specific ingredients and see for firsthand the production time and energy savings you may achieve. To schedule a test with Marion Mixers contact www.marionmixers.com for details.