Process Advantages
Compared to existing technologies relying on mechanical shear, the patented M4E-Technology represents a significant advancement. Where following process advantages gets gained out of it:
Energy saving
With M4E-Technology, energy savings are achieved through its innovative design. By utilizing a full thoughtlet with a permanent magnetic field, M4E-Technology operates without rotating parts or the need for an additional power supply. Only a pump is required to facilitate the flow through the M4E-unit, serving multiple purposes including product making, CIP-cleaning, and pumping the end-product to the process line.
Through the principle of magnetohydrodynamics, M4E-Technology ensures homogeneous hydration of hydrocolloids throughout the entire structure. This stands in contrast to conventional mixers, which can only affect the outer layers of particles through shear forces, leading to less uniform hydration. Additionally, M4E-Technology requires less energy to achieve the same hydration level compared to conventional techniques, thanks to this principle.
Limited temperature increase
The additional energy required to fully disperse hydrocolloids using standard rotor-stator technology translates into the generation of undesired heat. An experiment was conducted where hydrocolloid was added to a liquid stream at the exact same dosage. Temperature was monitored continuously from the start of addition until after 10 minutes. The results are as follows:
This demonstrates the heat generation associated with conventional dispersion methods, highlighting the potential for energy inefficiency and the need for more advanced solutions like M4E-Technology.
Cost saving raw material
Saving money on raw materials is a universal goal for every producer. M4E-Technology enables you to achieve significant cost savings in this regard. By efficiently hydrating the polymeric structure of ingredients such as starch or hydrocolloids, M4E-Technology ensures that the functionality of your ingredients is better retained compared to traditional rotor-stator mixers. As a result, less ingredients need to be dosed to achieve the same end-viscosity.
Below, you can find a comparison graph illustrating the dispersion of pectin using conventional techniques versus M4E-Technology. The blue line represents the results obtained with M4E-Technology, while the black line represents those obtained with the conventional method. The graphs show the measurement of the gel strength of a jam made with the exact same dosage of pectin. The blue line, made with M4E-Technology, demonstrates superior gel strength compared to the black line, made with the conventional technique.
Are you also interested in saving money on the functional ingredients you are using? If yes, please let us know, and we'd be happy to discuss how M4E-Technology can benefit your production process.
High Dry Matter
With the M4E-technology, an exceptional disperion of dry powders and hydrocolloids can be achieved, surpassing the limits of conventional techniques. Examples of dispersions easily achieved the technology include:
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5% Xanthan dispersion
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6 – 7% CMC dispersion
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8% Pectin dispersion (hot and cold, doesn’t matter)
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7% Locust bean Gum
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5% Guar gum
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12% Gelatin
Moreover, the technology can achieve these perfect disperions not only in water, but also in viscous media which tend to be more challenging.
In addition to conventional applications, the M4E-Technology is also well-suited for ongoing trends. Vegan cheese often requires high additions of dry powders, which is effortlessly achieved with our technology. Similarly, in protein-enriched products where dispersing all proteins can be challenging, the M4E-technology ensures optimal dispersion. Thetechnology even enables the creation of high-protein pastes.
For more information about the high concentrations where the M4E-technology can unlock possibilities for you, please get in touch.
Emulsions
When it comes to emulsions, achieving the smallest possible oil droplet size and a narrow Gaussian curve distribution is crucial for stability. In comparison to traditional inline high shear mixers, the M4E-technology outperforms in both parameters when passing an emulsion just once.
The Gaussian curve produced by M4E-Technology is narrower, and the oil droplet sizes are smaller, resulting in a longer stable emulsion. Moreover, running the same type of emulsion for a longer time over the M4E-Unit further improves these effects.
For some applications in the flavour industry, customers can significantly reduce the steps over their homogenizer. This led to substantial engergy savings in premixing and homenisation.
Dispersing Powders
Dissolving sugar in water is a common process step in many food industries, often requiring the use of hot water to create a 65 Brix solution. However, with the M4E-technology, a suprising solutions was discoverd: sugar can be easily dispersed at ambient temperature using the power of a magnetic field on a molecular scale.
Unlinke traditional methods, the M4E-technology does not rely on rotating parts, eliminating the risk of damage from high sugar content passing through. This innovative approach has proven to be significantly more efficient in tackling various types of dispersion compared to conventional techniques.
Capacity
Switching from a high shear mixer to the M4E-technology, will not lead to a decreased capacity.
Using the M4E-technology at a higher viscosity, runs more stable than conventional techniques, which can even increase the capacity.