PROCESS EQUIPMENT UPDATE
Low-impact tumble blending equipment
PRECISION BLENDING OPTIMISING
Tumble blender technology enhances the speed and homogeneous blending of nutraceutical components and powders to substantiate label claims and clinical trials
N
utraceuticals can encompass a wide variety of health-related products including vitamins, supplements, mineral blends and even various foods such as energy bars. Many of these formulations involve the fine blending of as many as 40-50 components, including powders and trace elements. Although nutraceuticals are not
strictly regulated like pharmaceuticals, the products still must substantiate any label claims, and a number are actually tested in clinical studies like medicines. “Whenever a nutraceutical makes a label claim, such as specific RDA or FDA allowances, vitamin percentages, or active components, it has to meet those criteria,” says George Paffendorf,
director of operations at Advanced Powder Solutions (APS), a company that specialises in developing and optimising the blending of powders for various industries. APS is the in-house testing/engineering arm of GEMCO, a manufacturer of tumble blending and vacuum tumble drying equipment with technical, nutraceutical expertise.
As an example, APS helped to blend
the various components for an energy bar (nuts, raisins, dried banana, flaked coconut, etc.), which were calculated to meet a minimum daily requirement for vitamins and minerals. “Te blends had to be precise enough to meet the label’s nutritional claims,” says Paffendorf.
One industry challenge is that the blending of solid ingredients is easier and more uniform if the ingredients are approximately the same size. However, it is more difficult to create precise blends with trace ingredients (<1%) that are vastly dissimilar in size and density. In some cases, this might require doing multiple key blends in a time-consuming and costly process. Fortunately, with tumble blending equipment that is engineered to meet the requirements of the application, the process can be simplified to rapidly produce a more precise, homogenous blend containing all necessary components and trace elements in the specified amounts. Such blending can
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