This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Edition
    • Archives
  • Exclusives
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
    • Web Exclusives
  • Topics
    • Latest Headlines
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Case Studies/Field Reports
    • Columns
    • Dry Processing
    • Food Safety
    • Innovation
    • Packaging
    • Processing
    • Sustainability
    • Tech Update
  • News
    • Manufacturing News
    • New Products
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
  • Food Master
  • Resources
    • Classified Ads
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • White Papers
    • Tech Flash E-newsletter
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference & Expo
  • Multimedia
    • Interactive Spotlights
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • eBooks
    • Food Plant of the Future
    • Webinars
    • Food Engineering's Youtube
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Home » How to select mixing equipment for cannabis food and beverages
ProcessingCannabis
CANNABIS PRODUCTS | NOVEMBER 2019

How to select mixing equipment for cannabis food and beverages

Mixing with care: Choosing the best mixer for cannabis-infused products requires weighing many factors.

INDCO Inc. Mixing Equipment
courtesy of INDCO Inc.
INDCO Inc. Mixing Equipment
courtesy of INDCO Inc.
Charles Ross & Son Company Mixing Equipment
courtesy of Charles Ross & Son Company
Charles Ross & Son Company Mixing Equipment
courtesy of Charles Ross & Son Company
INDCO Inc. Mixing Equipment
courtesy of INDCO Inc.
INDCO Inc. Mixing Equipment
INDCO Inc. Mixing Equipment
Charles Ross & Son Company Mixing Equipment
Charles Ross & Son Company Mixing Equipment
INDCO Inc. Mixing Equipment
November 25, 2019
Alyse Thompson
KEYWORDS blending / mixing
Reprints
No Comments

Creating consistent, enjoyable food and beverages is impossible without proper mixing, and that’s especially true for cannabis-infused products.

Not only does mixing affect a product’s taste, it plays a large role in its texture, color and appearance—qualities that must be repeated from unit to unit and batch to batch, as noted in a recent whitepaper, “Mixing Equipment and Applications in the Food Industry,” by Charles Ross & Son Company, Hauppauge, NY.

For the latest insights on developing cannabis-infused food and beverages, visit cannabisproductsmagazine.com

“Consumers expect that the food products they patronize will be exactly the same as the one they had last,” the whitepaper reads. “It is easy to understand that within the food industry a high level of consistency is required not just batch-to-batch but facility-to-facility. In this market, consistency is the backbone of consumer loyalty.”

Achieving uniform consistency depends, in part, on providing equipment suppliers with the information they’ll need to understand a manufacturer’s production process and the intended outcomes. Among the needed information are: 

  • Starting, maximum and final viscosity
  • Density
  • Phases and consistency of raw materials
  • Desired characteristics in the end product
  • Current method of production and challenges encountered
  • Plant layout
  • Upstream/downstream processes

Overall capacity—at the start of production and in the future—is another important factor to consider, says Christine Banaszek, sales manager, Charles Ross & Son Company.

“Identify the right size mixer that could meet not only the current need but allow for growth,” says Banaszek. “The minimum to maximum working capacity range varies from one mixer type to another, so discuss with your mixer vendor how to best address your immediate demands and planned future goals.”

 

Flow vs. Shear

From brownies and cookies to beverages, the specific food application will dictate the type of mixing process and the equipment design required for each manufacturing operation. Mark Hennis, president, INDCO Inc., New Albany, IN, says these processes fall into two main categories. “Mixer manufacturers often determine the correct mixer format for an application based on whether it is for a flow-driven or shear-driven process.”

Hennis notes flow-driven processes involve ingredients with low viscosity that mix easily. This can include multiple liquids or solids that dissolve effortlessly into liquids, such as sugar and salt into water.

“There is a wide variety of standard mixing products for almost any batch size in common containers for this type of application,” says Hennis. “Flow-driven processes are achieved with rotating shaft mixers and impellers that direct the flow downward to create turbulence and circulation in a vessel or tank.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum are shear-driven processes, which demand aggressive action to break down solids or create emulsions from liquids that do not blend easily. “Shear-driven mixers may similarly consist of a rotating shaft but with a sharp, saw-tooth style blade running at relatively much higher speeds,” says Hennis.

Cannabis compounds are lipophilic and may not easily form emulsions, potentially requiring a high-shear process. Banaszek says high-shear mixers from Charles Ross & Son Company are routinely used to prepare emulsions and solutions containing cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids.

However, a high-shear process might not always be required for a consistent cannabis food product, Hennis notes. “Enough shear can often be generated with other mixers through increased speed and impeller selection.”

Some manufacturers may need a mixing or blending solution that falls somewhere in between. Hennis suggests relying on the expertise of mixer suppliers to select the best equipment for a particular manufacturing operation.

“It is very common to meet people who have a vision but haven’t yet learned how to produce their desired outcome,” says Hennis. “Selecting mixers simply by price or attempting to buy a ‘one size fits all’ mixer are common mistakes. I recommend taking advantage of the years of experience and sound guidance a mixing applications engineer can provide.”

 

Selecting the Best Mixer

INDCO has worked with customers in the cannabis industry, providing more than 100 quotes to cannabinoid extractors and manufacturers of cannabis foods and beverages, among other products, over the last three years.

Hennis emphasizes the need for durable, easy-to-clean food-grade equipment. “This almost always includes mixers with 316 stainless steel shaft and impeller components that are polished to meet standards for cleanability. The specific type of mixer depends upon their end product, but sanitary finishes and operation in a sealed tank environment are common for mixer customers.”

While sanitary designs are a must, the available options are nearly endless. Hennis cites examples like top- or bottom-mounted mixers, clamp mixers that mount to a bracket on the side of a tank or on a mixer stand, drum mixers, benchtop mixers, floor-mounted mixers, and laboratory stirrers. He notes that laboratory-scale and small-batch pilot equipment are popular among his customers, adding that while some eventually scale-up, most are working under 100 gallons.

Banaszek estimates that Ross began working with customers in the cannabis space about four years ago. Today, the company receives inquiries from customers around the U.S. and Canada.

Understandably, many of those customers start small.

“A lot of starting companies work with kitchen appliances, and we help them translate that process to a scalable mixing operation that could support their growth potential,” says Banaszek.

Banaszek points to Ross laboratory models like the 100LSK-I and the 100LCI-T, which have high-shear attachments available. These top-entering, batch-type mixers feature type 316 stainless steel wetted parts, commercial-grade frames for bench-top mounting and FDA-compliant surface finishes for easy cleaning.

For larger-scale operations, Charles Ross & Son Company often supplies their 400 Series Inline High Shear Mixers which can be used to recirculate on a vessel or produce single-pass results. They are available with a variety of options, including sanitary designs with special seals, highly polished components and sanitary connections.

“Many customers in the food and beverage industry opt for sanitary design Inline High Shear Mixers for consistent results and larger scale but low-maintenance operation,” says Banaszek.

Many other mixer options exist on the market today. IKA Works, Inc. offers a CMX 2000 Inline Mixer that incorporates powders into liquids, mixing these materials reliably and consistently in a batch process. Its multi-level design and unique pumping stage enables processing of high-viscosity products without any additional aggregates. The CMX system is usually supplied with a solid material dosing feeder and mixing containers. Depending on the application and the requirements of the customer, the solid material can be fed via a bulk bag unloader, a funnel, sack-emptying boxes or directly from the bag via a suction lance.

Silverson sells its L5M-A Laboratory Mixer for a range of applications, including mixing, emulsifying, homogenizing, disintegrating and dissolving. With a capacity from 1 ml up to 12 liters and the ability to mix in-line with flow rates up to 20 liters/minute, it offers excellent reproducibility when scaling up to full-scale production and provide an accurate and easy means of forecasting the performance of larger Silverson machines under full-scale working conditions.

No matter the size of the operation, or the type of end product, making quality, consistent cannabis-infused products is not unlike non-infused food and beverages.

“Cannabis may be a relatively new active ingredient in terms of commercialized acceptance, but the basic mixing principles for achieving homogenization and uniform potency remain the same,” says Banaszek.

This article was originally posted on www.preparedfoods.com.

subscribe to Food Engineering

Recent Articles by Alyse Thompson

Using inspection and detection equipment in cannabis edibles manufacturing

Alyse-thompson-200px
Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.

Related Articles

Using inspection and detection equipment in cannabis edibles manufacturing

How to select the right packaging for your cannabis product

Finding the right equipment for manufacturing legal cannabis beverages

Prioritizing criteria to select a new food/beverage plant site

Related Products

Cleaning-in-Place: Dairy, Food and Beverage Operations, 3rd Edition

Functionalizing Carbohydrates for Food Applications

Statistical Process Control for the Food Industry: A Guide for Practitioners and Managers

Techniques for Analyzing Food Aroma

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

North Carolina Food Innovation Lab

North Carolina Food Innovation Lab takes aim at food production of the future

BKON's RAIN technology

RAIN uses vacuum cycles for extraction to occur at the deepest layers of coffee

Prestage Farms pork processing facility

How Prestage Foods of Iowa built a state-of-the-art pork processing plant

date labels

Much food waste comes from misinterpretation on product date labels

water sustainability

Reduce, reuse, recycle can help processors meet water usage goals

Food Master 2020

Events

April 26, 2020

Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo

FA&M logoFood Engineering's Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo (FA&M) is a 2 ½ day event that brings food and beverage processors and suppliers together to gain valuable information on the latest trends and technologies in manufacturing, automation, sustainability and food safety.

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Severe Weather and the Supply Chain

How will this year’s severe spring weather affect your supply chain?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Packaging Research in Food Product Design and Development

Packaging Research in Food Product Design and Development

Packaging Research in Food Product Design and Development is the first book to comprehensively address the issues of graphics design and visual concepts, from a systematic, scientific viewpoint, yet with business applications in mind.

See More Products

2019 Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies

Food Engineering

FE December 2019 cover

2019 December

In the December 2019 issue of Food Engineering, we take a behind-the-scenes look at Prestage Farms' new pork processing plant in northwest Iowa.
View More Create Account
  • Resources
    • Food & Beverage Brands
    • List Rental
    • Survey And Sample
  • Want More
    • Connect
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing