Overcoming Agglomeration Challenge

The Challenge

A leading manufacturer of nutraceutical supplements, flavors, and other products for the food industry faced a complex agglomeration (the process or result of gathering or sticking together in a mass or group) problem. They wanted to produce agglomerated beads from a 20-component blend nutraceutical, which could be put into capsules. This required a certain level of flowability and uniformity of the beads. However, their original process used a lot of water, which melted the sugar-like material in their blend and caused the material to stick to the agitator and create a mess. They tried using conventional kitchen equipment, such as a planetary mixer, a vacuum oven, and a Fitchpatrick hammermill, but they could not achieve consistent results. Their material looked like mustard seeds or poppy seeds, and they could not reproduce that in their lab. Moreover, they wanted to sell their product in the kosher and halal marketplace, which meant they could not have alcohol in their products.

The Solution

APS offered them a solution using GEMCO’s formulator, which is a versatile machine that can perform blending, sifting, drying, and pulverizing functions. APS determined that the problem was caused by the improper ratio of water and alcohol in their formula. APS experimented with different ratios of water and alcohol to find the optimal balance that would allow the formation of the nucleus of the beads and the drying of the water and alcohol. APS also ensured that the drying process was sufficient to eliminate the alcohol so that the product would be suitable for the kosher and halal marketplace.

The Result

The customer was satisfied with APS’s efforts and received promising results from their test. They were able to produce agglomerated beads with the desired flowability and uniformity. They also appreciated APS’s problem-solving skills and personal relationship with one of their chief engineers. They are still waiting for the results of their tests to confirm that there is no alcohol in their products. They learned that they have to be careful and investigate the problem thoroughly, especially when facing a complex agglomeration problem.