Evaluation of the Mixing Capability of a Low-Cost, Sanitary, Food-Grade Mixer

Abstract

Sanitary, food-grade, commercial mixers can have a sizeable price tag. Many entrepreneurs and new businesses cannot afford to invest in commercial mixing equipment, so a low-cost version would be a great alternative. The mixing capabilities of two different mixing bowls manufactured by Kushlan Products Incorporated with a total of five different internal set-ups were evaluated in this study and compared to a commercial V-blender. A new evaluation method was developed to test mixing capability using a steel grit tracer as opposed to table salt. The mixed contents were transferred into the hopper of a vibratory feeder and samples were taken by passing cups underneath the discharge of the feeder. The steel grit tracer was collected very easily with a magnet while the salt tracer required extensive preparation for analysis in small batches. Both tracers were tested in the V-blender and one of the trials using the steel tracer out of 11 total trials between the two tracers resulted in an adequate mixture. A screening study of 8 mixing factors found that bulk media size, bin transfer of product, and sampling interval had the most significant effect on the mixing process. Ground corn was the bulk media used for most of the trials, but all-purpose flour was also tested and it mixed as well as and sometimes better than the ground corn, but it was still not good enough to be considered adequate. Adequate mixing was not obtained using any of the five bowl configurations although the closest results came from utilizing the bowl that contained two molded-in paddles and two stainless steel blades.