Mixing: - Mixing (or blending) is a unit operation in which a uniform mixture is

obtained from two or more components, by dispersing one within the other(s) or
It is a combination of two or more components to form a single uniform mixture.
Mixing is an important, oven fundamental, operation in nearly all food and chemical
processes. In the mixing of solid particles, three mechanisms may be involved:
 Mixing heavy pastes, plastic solids and rubber is more of an art than a science. It is
not possible to achieve a completely uniform mixture of dry powders or particulate solids.
The degree of mixing that is achieved depends on:
 the relative particle size, shape and density of each component

 the moisture content, surface characteristics and flow characteristics of each component

 the tendency of the materials to aggregate

 the efficiency of a particular mixer for those components.

In general, materials that are similar in size, shape and density are able to form a more
uniform mixture than are dissimilar materials. During a mixing operation, differences in these
properties also cause unmixing (or separation) of the component parts. In some mixtures,
uniformity is achieved after a given period and then unmixing begins. It is therefore
important in such cases to time the mixing operation accurately. The uniformity of the final
product depends on the equilibrium achieved between the mechanisms of mixing and
unmixing, which in turn is related to the type of mixer, the operating conditions and the
component foods
Mixing equipments:-
Many forms or mixers have been produced from time to time. The easiest way in which to
classify mixers is to divide them according to whether they mix liquids, dry powders, or thick
pastes.
 Mixers for dry powders: - During mixing of dry powders do not change their properties, so
lighten machine are required for mixing of dry powders. Example-Ribbon blender, internal
screw mixer, tumbling mixer, Impact Wheel
 Mixers for Liquid material: - For mixing of liquids, the propeller mixer is most common
satisfactory machine. In using propeller mixers, it is Important to avoid regular flow patterns
such as swirl round a cylindrical tank which may accomplish very little mixing. To break up
these streamline patterns, baffles are often fitted or the propeller may fitted asymmetrically.
 Mixers for high-viscosity liquids and pastes: - Dough and pastes are mixed in machines
which have, to be heavy and powerful. Because of the large power requirements. The most
commonly used mixer for these very heavy materials is the kneader which employs two contra-
rotating arms of special shape, which fold and shear the material.

Mixers are classified into types that are suitable for:

1. dry powders or particulate solids
2. low- or medium-viscosity liquids
3. high-viscosity liquids and pastes
4. Dispersion of powders in liquids.

1. Equipment for Solids Mixing(dry powders or particulate solids)

A huge variety of devices for the mixing of solids is available.

 Ribbon Blender:- Ribbon mixers have two or more thin narrow metal blades formed on a
shaft into helices, one blade being right-handed and the other left-handed. As the shaft rotates
sections of the powder move in opposite directions
and so particles are vigorously displaced relative to each other which counter-rotate in a closed hemispherical trough. This
type of mixer is used for dry ingredients and small-particulate foods. The ribbon blender consists of a trough in which
rotates. It is usually operated in batch mode with mixer volumes up to about 15 m, but continuous operation is possible
with feed rates up to 10 t/h. Helical ribbon mixers can be used for slightly cohesive solids, for very thin pastes or for the
addition of liquids to solids.

Tumbling mixers / Cone Mixers:-Essentially these are enclosed containers which rotate about a horizontal axis
and include the
horizontal drum, double-cone, V- cone, Y-cone, and cube. The above figures
show double-cone mixer and Y-cone mixer. These
mixers are operated in batch mode being
partially filled with solids (up to about 60% by volume).
Tumbling mixers
are run at a fraction of the critical speed required for centrifugation (at which all the solids would be thrown outwards
towards the mixer walls) with a practical maximum speed of about 100 rpm. They are used for free-flowing solids, but
small amounts of liquid may be added, and are best suited for particles of similar size and density because strong
segregation can occur. Such mixers may have baffles fitted to the inner walls which help to lift solids. Tumbler mixers are
manufactured using a wide variety of materials, including stainless steel. This type of mixer can create a free falling
curtain of material, exposing each particle surface area and allowing uniform dispersion of liquid additives. Liquid
addition can include for coating and encapsulating applications.

Vertical Screw Mixers- In vertical screw mixers, a rotating vertical screw is located in a cylindrical or cone shaped vessel.
The screw may be mounted centrally in the vessel or may rotate or orbit around the central axis of the vessel near the wall.
Materials are lifted from the bottom to the top of the hopper and are then exchanged with materials on the way up. Such
Unit operations in food processing by Mohit Jindal Vol. 1.2 Page 51 of 90
mixers are schematically shown in Fig. 17.4. A vertical screw blender (Fig. 17.4a) may be desired for larger batches
handled in a small space, while the orbiting screw mixer (Fig. 17.4b) is used for difficult mixes. The latter arrangement is
more effective and stagnant layers near the wall are eliminated. Vertical screw mixers are quick, efficient, and particularly
useful for mixing small quantities of additives into large masses of material. Specialized atmospheres as well as normal
temperatures and pressures are accessible for multipurpose operations.
Impact Wheel- Fine, light powders such as insecticides may be blended continuously by spreading them out in a thin
layer under centrifugal action. A premix of the several dry ingredients is fed continuously near the center of a high-speed
spiraling disk 10 to 27 inches in diameter, which throws it outward into a stationary casing. The intense shearing forces
acting on the powders during their travel over the disk surface thoroughly blend the various materials. The attrition mill is
an effective mixer of this type.

Equipment for liquids Mixing

For the deliberate mixing of liquids, the propeller mixer is the most common and the most satisfactory. The mixing of
liquids is achieved in an agitated tank. A large number of designs of agitator are used to mix liquids in unbaffled or baffled
vessels. A large
number of different types of impellers are in use; different impellers impart different flow patterns to the liquid and they
must be matched to the rheology of the liquid and to the desired shear rate. Mixing vessels usually have rounded bottoms,
rather than flat ones, to prevent the formation of dead spaces.
When an impeller rotates in a liquid the liquid is likely to swirl in a mass and a vortex will form. This is
undesirable; because the possibility either of unwanted
dissolution of air and improper mixing. Consequently baffles are fitted to the tank. Normally four baffles are used. Baffles
minimize vortex formation, prevent swirling of the liquid, and result in more rapid mixing. Impellers which have short
blades (less than a quarter of the diameter of the vessel) are known as propeller agitators.
Propeller agitators operate at 400–1500 rev min_1 and are used for blending miscible liquids, diluting concentrated
solutions, preparing syrups or
brines and dissolving other ingredients.

Agitator Types:-Agitators come in many sizes and shapes. There are two types of agitators – mechanical and
electronically controlled. In the first article, we will cover mechanical process agitators.

The basic types of mechanical agitators are:

Paddle Agitators: - Paddle agitators are used where a uniform laminar flow of liquids is desired.
Anchor Agitators: - It is mainly used in reactors.

Unit operations in food processing by Mohit Jindal Vol. 1.2 Page 52 of 90

Radial Propeller Agitators:-Radial agitators consist of propellers that are similar to marine propellers. Ideal for
applications where shear is the primary requirement, or where agitation close to the bottom of the tank is desired.

Propeller Agitators:-A propeller agitator is shaped with blades tapering towards the shaft to minimize centrifugal force and
produce maximum axial flow. Propeller agitators are popular for simple mixing jobs.

Turbine Agitators: - Turbine agitators can create a turbulent movement of the fluids due to the combination of centrifugal
and rotational motion. Ideal for low-viscosity, high-speed direct drive mixers.

Helical Agitators:-These agitators have blades with a twisted mechanism, just like the threads of a screw. Helical agitators
are most useful for mixing viscous liquids.

Choosing an agitator depends upon the specific gravity and viscosity of the products to be mixed. Agitators need to be
designed, engineered and manufactured to suit individual applications. Core knowledge of fluid mechanics is essential for
choosing the right type of agitators.

Equipment for high-viscosity liquids and pastes mixing

More viscous liquids, dough and pastes are mixed using different type of mixers like kneaders. Kneading is a method of
mixing used for deformable or plastic solids. There are different types of twin-shaft horizontal blade mixers are available.
According to consistency or viscosity of liquid the design of blades can be changed like Z-blade (or sigma-blade) mixer.
This consists of two
Unit operations in food processing by Mohit Jindal Vol. 1.2 Page 53 of 90
heavy-duty blades which are mounted horizontally in a metal trough. The blades intermesh and rotate towards each other
at either similar or different speeds (14–60 rev min_1) to produce shearing forces between the two blades and between the
blades and the specially designed trough base. Mixing efficiency should therefore be high to reduce the mixing time. If
necessary the walls of the trough are jacketed for temperature control.
Continuous Mixer
Pug Mill: - Pugmills are machines for mixing materials, usually one of them dry and the other a liquid. A pug mill or pug
mill is a machine in which clay or other materials are mixed into a plastic state. Industrial applications are found in bricks,
cement and some parts of the concrete mixing processes. A pugmill may be a fast continuous mixer. A continuous pugmill
can achieve a thoroughly mixed, homogeneous mixture in a few seconds. A typical pugmill consists of a horizontal
boxlike chamber with a top inlet and a bottom discharge at the other end, 2 shafts with opposing paddles, and a drive
assembly. Some of the factors affecting mixing and residence time are the number and the size of the paddles, paddle
swing arc, overlap of left and right swing arc, size of mixing chamber, length of pugmill floor, and material being mixed.
The paddle tips are adjustable and fairly easily replaced. The paddle areas are adjusted to ensure there are
no “dead areas” in the pugmill. A “dead area” is a location where aggregates can accumulate out of reach of the paddles
and not be thoroughly mixed. Dead areas can be avoided by making sure the
clearance between the paddle tips and the liner is less than one half of the maximum aggregate size. Non-uniform mixing
can occur if the pugmill is overfilled.

Mixing-Extruders: - Food extrusion is a form of extrusion used in food processing. In the extrusion
process, raw materials are first ground to the correct particle size, usually the consistency of coarse flour. It is a process by
which a set of mixed ingredients (may be liquid sugar, fats, dyes, meats or water) are forced through an opening in a
perforated plate or die with a design specific to the food, and is then cut to a specified size by blades. The machine which
forces the mix through the die is an extruder, and the mix is known as the extrudate. The extruder consists of a large,
rotating screw tightly fitting within a stationary barrel, at the end of which is the die.

Unit operations in food processing by Mohit Jindal Vol. 1.2 Page 54 of 90

 The extruder consists of a large, rotating screw tightly fitting within a stationary barrel,
at the end of which is the die. The amount of time the extrudate is in the extruder is the
residence time.

Muller Mixer: - it gives different mixing action from that of other machine. This different
action is given white heavy muller wheel. In this particular design the pan is stationery and
central vertical shaft is driven causing the muller wheel roll. In other design of muller mixer
the shaft is held stationary and pan is rotated which cause the
wheel to rotate.

Mixing Rolls:- another way of

kneading the phase and deformable is to
pass them between smooth metal
rod
revolving at different speed. 3 to 5 horizontal set of roll one about the other
in a vertical step installed at different
angles
can complete the
kneading thoroughly. The
speed of rolls increases
starting from the ist
step towards the next.

Agitation-The agitation of a liquid is defined as the establishment of a particular flow

pattern within the liquid, usually a circulatory motion within a container. Mixing is brought
about by agitation.

Purposes of agitation Liquids are agitated for a number of purposes, depending on the
objectives of the processing step. These purposes include:

1. Suspending solid particles.

2. Blending miscible liquids, for example, methyl alcohol and water.
3. Dispersing a gas through the liquid in the form of small bubbles.
4. Dispersing a second liquid, immiscible with the first, to form an emulsion or a suspension of
fine drops.
5. Promoting heat transfer between the liquid and a coil or jacket
Kneading: (To mix and work into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching
with the hands or machine) Kneading is a method of mixing used for deformable or plastic
solids. It involves it involves squashing the mass flat folding it over itself and squashing it
again and again. This process will be repeated many times to obtain a uniform product.
Kneading is a process in the making of bread or pasta dough, used to mix the ingredients and
add strength to the final product.