In this case study, we delve into a project we conducted on premix production in response to the ever-increasing needs identified by our clients.
As explored in the previous article, premixes are important for two fundamental reasons:
- They guarantee the possibility of outsourcing production to third parties without having to reveal the recipe; the know-how, therefore, remains within the company.
- They allow for the optimization of the production process, promoting solubilization through the use of already mixed powders.
Let’s analyze the case study.
Initial Situation and Final Objective
Many clients often need to outsource the production of certain food products, such as cooking sauces, without revealing the recipe and therefore protecting the name and usage percentages of individual ingredients. At the same time, however, it is necessary to optimize production processes.
The objective we set ourselves was, therefore, to evaluate the feasibility of a production process that would allow the use of a preventively prepared mixture of solids, instead of single ingredients loaded one at a time. Furthermore, each mixture must be specific from recipe to recipe.
Strategies Adopted
Strengthened by our know-how in the sector, reinforced by over ten years of experience and work in research and development, and thanks to the tools our company is equipped with, we have created a framework that allows us to achieve, for each company, what we set out to do regarding premixes. Let’s analyze the fundamental steps:
- We immediately proceed to analyze the individual production processes, highlighting the critical parameters.
- Based on the collected data, we can hypothesize different premixes and, once developed, we will eventually optimize them.
- We carry out experimental tests on a laboratory scale with 2kg batches, using benchtop mixers.
- We then move on to experimental tests on a pilot scale, this time with batches from 80 to 120 kg, carried out directly in the client company’s plant in use.
- After a series of test cycles, we carry out an evaluation of the ongoing processes within the company and compare them with those foreseen by the mixing project.
- Finally, great attention is paid to temperature control, as it is a critical factor in these production processes.
Results Obtained
The entire process established by ITP S.r.l. allows us to develop premixes for different types of recipes with the further advantage of immediately identifying, and well in advance, the critical factors to be controlled in the process and in the development of the finished product.
