Hosokawa has worked with a major baker on producing a single-step process for mixing fats into flours using its Vrieco-Nauta conical mixer.
With the previous mixing system, very small lumps of the fat and flour were formed that appeared as white spots in the final baked products. In the past this problem had been solved by using a deagglomerator after mixing, but this added another stage to the process increasing overall production times.
After extensive testing at Hosokawa’s test centre in Doetinchem, it was found that optimal results were gained by introducing the fat direct into the bulk and breaking the agglomerates with a high speed rotating element. This was achieved by placing a high-speed mixing element, called an intensifier, inside the Vrieco-Nauta mixer.
The intensifier rotates in the product at speeds of up to 40m/s. Due to the high speed, the flour and fat mixes without creating agglomerates.
Typical applications for the intensifier include the mixing of viscous fluids into powder mixtures, providing excellent particle distribution for products such as lecithin, fat, margarine and cocoa products. It also provides a high level of accuracy for mixing critical fluids into powder mixtures such as flavours and for mixing difficult pastes and fluids.
Contact: Hosokawa Micron, Tel: 01928 755100