Using a Flow-Through Chamber for Sports Drink Processing
Continuous Flow-Through Chamber
Coupling a laboratory homogenizer drive motor to a flow-through chamber attachment is an excellent way to mix ingredients such as food supplements and energy drinks. Today’s flow through chambers can process high volumes and serve either as a pilot plant for food processing or for production line homogenizing and blending.
The popularity of energy drinks has brought forth a variety of formulations that are ideal for processing via a flow through chamber. Ingredients vary. Examples include flavor powders, oil, water, potassium sorbate, lecithin, and citric acid. Thorough mixing and blending of these ingredients is accomplished in flow through chambers attached to a compatible homogenizer drive motor.
How to Use Flow-Through Chambers for Homogenizing-Mixing
In this example pilot-stage energy drink processing is accomplished with a DK40 flow-through chamber attached to compatible homogenizer drive motor such as the 1700-watt X1740 with adjustable speeds from 2,500-23,000 RPM. Both are available from CAT Scientific. The assembly is positioned on a horizontal mounting plate. The chamber is equipped with a cooling jacket through which a coolant can circulate, if needed, to avoid overheating the sample.
Although processing of energy drink ingredients is accomplished in 50-liter batches the assembly is capable of processing up to 5,000 liters per hour and is expected to be employed in full scale production when procedures are defined.
While dwell time in the chamber can be extended by restricting the outflow it is not required in this instance. Instead the energy drink ingredients are drawn by gravity from an overhead vessel into the chamber where a rotor-stator homogenizer generator accomplishes the desired blending action.
The samples exit the chamber to a receiving container from where they are used for process evaluation. When the ideal processing parameters are defined the manufacturer plans to scale up the process to utilize its full throughput capacity of 5,000 liters per hour.
For further information please visit our post on flow through chambers . We also offer suggestions on homogenizer cleaning tips that are important to protect your investment and guard against cross contamination.
Summary
Proper equipment selection can save both time and money when the requirements call for precision blending or homogenizing starting at the pilot plant stage but extendable to full-scale production.