Industrial agitation’s importance for the food industry

What is the food industry?

The food industry is dedicated to producing food for human and animal consumption through various processes that ensure the preparation of products ready for sale and for being eaten.

This industry encompasses reception, storage processing, preservation, and service.

Its objective is to offer food and beverages to satisfy the population’s nutritional needs through the value chain.

We don’t directly consume food and beverages because they often require processing that makes them suitable and helps achieve high quality and hygiene standards, vital for their transformation, commercialization, and final sale.

Over the years, the production process has experienced a big evolution due to technological innovation. Examples of this transformation include the need of Plant-based food or less carbon emissions during the process.

The tech process and compromise with sustainability, not only redefine the way we consume, but also the way we understand agroindustry. To have a complete idea, it is important to consider the subdivisions that construct this vast sector:

• Wine and brewing industry
• Agroindustry
• Oil industry
• Dairy industry
• Grain industry
• Fishing industry
• Meat industry
• Pet-food or animal husbandry

For each of these subdivisions, there are also processes in stages, and depending on the product, there can be more. But in this entry, we are discussing 4 that stand out:

• Production
• Storage
• Transformation
• Distribution

Industrial agitation in the food and beverage sector

We know that agitation refers to a component’s movement that creates different reactions depending on the process that will be carried out.

Before we meet all the details about food processing and mixing, we can delve into the equipment specifications and function. Agitation operations are not only performed with a single type of substance, usually the components can fall into the following categories:

• Liquid-liquid
• Solid-liquid
• Gas-liquid

The agitation and mixing process in the food sector can prevent or support some natural chemical reactions in food.

In the chocolate manufacturing industry, the homogenization processes it is critic, combines two different components: milk (liquid state) and chocolate or cacao (solid state). During the process, specialized agitators are applied that ensure the perfect fusion of both ingredients. It is essential to monitor the temperatures and apply the correct force to maintain the product consistency.

Industrial agitation in food processes can be carried out with a variety of components, such as agitators, impellers, turbines, among other devices, depending on the sought result.

Considerations for the agitation process

To be sure about the results that will be achieved, it is necessary to have the appropriate equipment. Understanding what an industrial agitator is, it's fundamental for making the selection of the ideal tool.

In the design process, the simulations are the key to validate the functionality; extensive testing is carried out throughout and after manufacturing, supported by calculation reports, CFD studies, FEA, and other engineering analyses, all to obtain the ideal mixers.

Hygiene and safety specifications are highly demanding in food and beverage production; therefore, equipment finishes must be food-grade. The sanitary polishing process uses mechanical, chemical, or electrical techniques to obtain smooth surfaces and avoid friction that results in contaminants.

Quality control

Quality control in the agitation process allows us to obtain constant and consistent results at the end of production. Also, ensure the necessary elements for the next stage of the production chain.

To carry out correct control and monitoring, it is imperative to include the registry of suppliers, facilities, components, spare parts and needs especially for the process that you will be doing.

Remember that we are original equipment manufacturers. We coordinate the necessary action from design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance for the mixing system.

Within quality control and good practices in food handling during processing are also included. Accordingly, we can establish 3 categories:

• Effects that can cause in consumers and are known as innocuous or harmful.
• Conditions for its conservation are perishable, semi-perishable, or non-perishable foods.
• Alterations presence that makes unsuitable the consumption.

In this case, it is extremely important to know what conditions can alter the state of the compounds at the processing, due to chemical and physical reactions catalyzed by movement.

Other standards to consider within the food and beverage industry are the following:

• ISOO 22000: It is the safety management standard for all processes involved in the food supply chain, whether they participate in it directly or indirectly. This includes primary producers and processors. It is applicable regardless of the legislation per county, since the objective is integrated safety management.
• GMP: Refers to Good Manufacturing Practices in which the conditions and requirements are established to ensure hygiene in the food production chain.
• ISO 9001: This is the standard for quality management systems, and has benefits in its application, such as providing services and products that meet customer requirements and addressing all the opportunities given to the project.

Main agitators in food processing

There is a diversity of equipment for agitation in the food industry, and each has specific characteristics that provide different product qualities.

In the agri-food sector, one objective is that product particles can be properly mixed to obtain the expected result in terms of flavor, consistency, quality, and nutrients.

Let’s start with the lateral and bottom industrial agitators.

Lateal and bottom entry

Lateral or bottom mounting agitators are mainly used in containers with large storage volumes, an affordable option for mixtures that exert pressure from the top of the tank, in which a vertical one is not a practical option.

The lateral agitators allow working with large amounts of product, prevent leaks, and are highly adaptable to the process.

Top Entry or vertical mixing agitators

Top mounting agitators are popular for processing food or beverages in bigger tanks with extended amounts of product. Mega RT(G) Series is resistant to processes such as crystallization, which is necessary for sugar processing, a highly demanding industry and a heavy duty task.

The Inter RT(N) Series is one of the ideal equipment for food and beverages in large quantities and various projects. Its main characteristic is versatility due to its highly adaptable configurations, compatibility with many impellers, and capacity to reach high rotation power. Is a freely and capable of many configurations depending on the product, production environment and more.

Some recurring processes in the food and beverage sector are mixing, dispersion, dissolution, emulsion, homogenization, flocculation, among others.

Compact top entry mixer

At Autmix you will find agitators that can fulfill the same functions as top entry agitators, the difference is in the amount of material and power required during processing. We introduce to you the small top entry agitators. The fisrt one highlights due to its potential, CT(R) Series, is highly functional in liquids with different viscosity levels, making it ideal when treating thick mixtures such as honey.

On the other hand, the CT(F) Series is efficient processing liquids or mixtures of low densities.

Anchors agitators

Anchor type agitators maintain constant and slow movement, an ideal quality for processes with moderate to high-viscosity fluids.

Taking this characteristic as a starting point, we approach the Standard NC(S) that is specialized in temperature transfer operations. This function is essential to avoiding product solidification. Thus, it is a viable option for oil processing, ensuring the control of lower temperatures we don't want and possible crystallization.

Another application where it is useful is in chocolate production, due to temperature control is also needed. The equipment applied is designed with a resistance outside the tank that allows the product to be heated while it is being mixed. Once this heat is generated, the anchor mixers distribute the temperature with constant and uniform movements.

On the other hand, the Helical NC(H) Series is a handy mixer for dairy-fermentation processes since it supports the organism's conservation, which is the basis of the resulting products. Thanks to its geometry, the NC(H) anchor mixer can achieve a mix faster than other models, like the Standard, distributing the flow throughout the tank and saving energy and time through the operation.

Magnetics

We highlight the importance of magnetic agitators in this sector, specially designed to treat products that demand high levels of safety. Its magnetic transmission eliminates the need for sealing, effectively isolating the components from external contaminants.

Agitation in bioreactors

It is important to remember that there are other components in relation to food and beverage processing, such as bioreactors. Considering that the processes related to microorganisms are relevant for this sector, special care is required with the machinery used.

Industrial bioreactors are designed with materials and properties that keep the components in an optimal state and support bacteria control. Thus, they oversee maintaining safety and are manufacturers focusing on a concept called microbial metabolism.

Agitation systems for bioreactors can be divided into two types:

• Mechanical: characterized by having a motor that drives the agitator shaft.
• Tires: they are the agitators that work by compressed air force that moves the mixtures.

Optimizing juice production: Inter RT(N) case

As we have mentioned in this article, the importance of industrial agitators in the food sector is essential to obtain high-quality products. In addition to guaranteeing a homogeneous mixture, this equipment must ensure the operation with maintenance. In this case, we focus on the application of one of the most versatile and advanced agitators in our portfolio: the Inter RT(N) Series. Remember this is the most multiskilled mixing agitatior in our catalog.

A renowned company that produces juices and juices, with extensive experience in the market, decided to expand its production line and incorporate two mixing tanks to have fruit juice. The requirements were clear: design, manufacture, and commission two vertical agitators with precise specifications that align with factory and industry quality standards. The deposit's characteristics were:

• Length: 1.804 m
• Width: 1.981 m
• Maximum volume: 5.000 m³

Building robust, efficient, and adaptable shakers was challenging, given the customer's specific demands. For this, a fluid dynamics (CFD) study was carried out, where it was possible to verify the optimal operation of the agitators under the specified conditions. The simulations confirmed that the final product would maintain the consistency and Standard that characterizes the brand.

The adaptability and versatility of Inter RT(N) Series proved to be essential in optimizing the juice production process. In addition to state-of-the-art technology, a critical aspect of our success is the involvement of experts in each project phase. A specialized technical team ensures that quality standards and specific customer demands are met, risks are minimized, and efficiency is improved.

Consult the agitation and mixing options for the food industry available in Autmix Flow. We have extensive experience in the agri-food sector and multiple projects carried out around the world. Contact us!