Food & Pet Food

Flavor Blends

Various encapsulated flavors
Various encapsulated flavors
Download large image
Encapsulated flavor, citrus
Encapsulated flavor, citrus
Download large image
Coperion's ZSK Mv PLUS food extruder in hygienic design provides ideal conditions for flavor encapsulation
Coperion's ZSK Mv PLUS food extruder in hygienic design provides ideal conditions for flavor encapsulation
Download large image
Coperion’s ZGF Centric Pelletizer
Coperion’s ZGF Centric Pelletizer
Download large image
Feeders with Quick Change module enable fast ingredient changeovers
Feeders with Quick Change module enable fast ingredient changeovers
Download large image
Liquid Feeders provide accurate continuous volumetric or gravimetric flow control of liquids
Liquid Feeders provide accurate continuous volumetric or gravimetric flow control of liquids
Download large image
The Coperion ZRD Rotary Valve sports the FXS system, allowing for quick and easy retraction of the rotor for cleaning
The Coperion ZRD Rotary Valve sports the FXS system, allowing for quick and easy retraction of the rotor for cleaning
Download large image
P100 Batch Weigh Receiver in a batching application
P100 Batch Weigh Receiver in a batching application
Download large image
P-series receiver refilling loss-in-weight feeder in a flavor encapsulating process
P-series receiver refilling loss-in-weight feeder in a flavor encapsulating process
Download large image

Feeding, material handling and extrusion for flavor blends, encapsulated flavors and Maillard flavor reactions, aromas, vitamins, food additives

The use of flavors and aromas in food processing plays an important role in food consumption and consumer acceptance. Coperion K-Tron feeders and pneumatic conveying systems are used extensively in the food industry for the accurate and gentle handling of flavor blends to minimize aroma degradation. Coperion’s food components fulfill the highest demands in hygiene, easy cleaning and gentle product handling. In addition, Coperion high efficiency ZSK Mv PLUS twin screw extruders are used to encapsulate volatile flavors and aromas.

The encapsulated product can be used to create food products with improved shelf life, easy product handling and more controlled release properties. Encapsulated flavors are used in instant beverages, teas, confectionary and bakery product.

A second flavors application for the ZSK Mv PLUS extruder utilizes the Maillard reaction for flavor formation. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars which gives browned foods their desirable flavor. Savory flavors such as roasted onion, gravy base, roasted or cooked meat flavors can be created continuously in a very low moisture environment.

Typical products are: encapsulated flavors and blends (lemon, citrus, sugars, maltodextrins), miscellaneous flavor blends, Maillard flavors (toasting, roasting, baking, caramel).

Features and Benefits

  • Complete systems supply for flavor encapsulation from raw ingredient delivery, to weighing and batching of ingredients, mixing and extrusion, end-product feeding, and conveying
  • Coperion extruders produce encapsulated flavors with a much smaller footprint than traditional spray dry methods
  • Extrusion processes operate in a highly viscous state with very little to no water addition, so no subsequent drying is needed, resulting in a much lower overall process energy cost
  • Sensitive flavors produced by Coperion extruders have considerably extended shelf life, especially citrus flavors
  • Coperion K-Tron screw feeders offer high accuracy in weighing and batching expensive flavor ingredients and blends, thus saving on overall ingredient costs
  • Coperion K-Tron and Coperion dense phase conveying systems allow for gentle transfer of the complete blend without segregation or degradation
  • The versatile Coperion twin screw extrusion systems for flavor encapsulation are designed for quick recipe changes, thus making several flavor recipe profiles available with one machine
  • Coperion and Coperion K-Tron’s  extensive ingredient handling and flavor reaction expertise ensure the end user of ease in development of even the most difficult ingredient flavor profiles

Application Example

Microencapsulation of flavors

The process engineers and global systems engineering network have extensive experience in the development of extrusion systems for the microencapsulation of aromas, vitamins and flavors. The intensive mixing effect of the ZSK Mv PLUS twin screw extruder achieves a high degree of dispersive distribution of the ingredients. In addition, the highly accurate Coperion K-Tron line of LIW feeders ensure proper dispersing of even the most difficult to handle materials at the precise recipe proportion. Finally, the gentle conveying and easy-clean material handling components ensure that whether it is transfer of raw ingredient or final blended or extruded product, no degradation or segregation occurs.

Download the application sheet for more info:

Comprehensive Product Range

Twin Screw Extruder ZSK 43 Mv PLUS

Extruders

Maximum throughput coupled with GENTLE PRODUCT HANDLING

Coperion first-class ZSK Mv PLUS twin screw extruders are used for efficient encapsulation of high-quality volatile flavors and aromas. The intensive mixing action of the Coperion food extruder design achieves a highly dispersed distribution of the active ingredients. It is possible to achieve a maximum flavor payload of more than 10%, depending upon the specific recipe. In addition, the Coperion ZGF centric pelletizer is used, which includes a special die plate to allow for cuts of very fine granulates, as low as 0.6 mm in diameter.

Food Extruders
Coperion K-Tron K-CL-24-P Liquid Feeder

Feeding Equipment

High Accuracy feeding of the most difficult to handle flavor ingredients

The Coperion K-Tron line of dry powder feeders (both single and twin screw) and liquid loss-in-weight feeders are used extensively throughout the flavor ingredients and blends metering or feeding process. Whether batching to a mixer or delivering these materials direct to the extruder, Coperion K-Tron feeders can handle the materials gently and accurately. Feeding and proportioning of the individual ingredients to the extrusion encapsulation process are crucial to product quality and process efficiency. At any stage of the production process, undetected feed rate and proportioning errors cause increases in overall ingredient costs while at the same time compromising the overall quality of the encapsulated product. Today, more and more food processors are using highly accurate Coperion K-Tron gravimetric feeders to improve process efficiency and product quality.

Feeders

Material Handling

Ingredient and Final Blend Transfer via Gentle Material Handling

The pneumatic conveying systems and components provided by Coperion and Coperion K-Tron utilize a variety of pneumatic transfer methods, dependent upon the suitability to the application. Whether dense or dilute phase and positive or negative pressure, components and technologies are selected which are most suitable for the process and the materials to be conveyed. In addition, the high efficiency easy clean rotary airlocks provided by Coperion are used throughout the flavor handling process. All components are designed for easy clean and easy access, ensuring quick turnaround during product changeovers.

Process Equipment
Flavor encapsulation

Plants & Systems

Sanitary Systems Design for Material Transfer

From raw ingredient pickup and transfer, to batch weighing and high accuracy feeding to mixing, extrusion and packaging - Coperion and Coperion K-Tron’s global systems engineering group can provide single source supply for the complete flavor blend or encapsulation line. Our systems engineering groups ensure that all aspects of the complete systems design conform with the most current process safety and hygienic design standards.

Plants & Systems
Coperion service technician

Service

Superior Global Service

Our global service personnel possess extensive material handling and process design knowledge for these special hygienic applications and are available 24/7 to assist you with your flavor blend process needs.

After Sales Service

Typical process flow diagrams

Typical set-up for the encapsulation of flavors and aromas
Typical set-up for the encapsulation of flavors and aromas
Material handling and batch weighing prior to blending
Material handling and batch weighing prior to blending
Conveying of ingredients directly to Coperion K-Tron loss-in-weight feeders for coninuous operations
Conveying of ingredients directly to Coperion K-Tron loss-in-weight feeders for coninuous operations
Dense phase pressure conveying of food ingredients
Dense phase pressure conveying of food ingredients

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do to improve my batching system’s operating efficiency?

Operational efficiency of batching systems is a function of several factors including resolution and accuracy of the weighing device and batching technology, overall time required for the batching operation, and overall space availability for the batch weigh system. Typically, ingredient batching systems can be categorized into three different technology options:

  • Gain-In-Weight batching via scale weighing operations
  • Gain-In-Weight batching via volumetric feeders
  • Loss-In-Weight batching via gravimetric Loss-In-Weight feeders

Each of these technologies has inherent advantages and limitations. In order to choose the most efficient system, it is important to review the critical criteria required for the system as a function of batch time, accuracy required, amount of time allowed for quick changeover/cleaning and, of course, overall cost.

Optimization of batch accuracy will also be a function of the load cell resolution available. For example, in GIW batching, when discharging into a hopper or receiver on load cells, the accuracy is a function of the full scale load of receiving vessel plus product. In other words, a system designed to add both macro and micro ingredients in the same vessel may not be able to detect accurately the smaller amounts. Therefore, many times, in order to make the overall batching operation more cost effective, a combination of the GIW and LIW batching is used. GIW batching techniques are used for the macro ingredients, and separate LIW feeders are used for the micros whose batch weights may be too small to be detected by the GIW scale hoppers.

Once the correct type of batching technology is chosen, several other design options can be integrated into the system to make it more efficient. These include easy-access and easy-clean support devices and frames, quick disconnect systems, and even wash-in-place features in order to allow for quick product changeover and cleanability. It is important to discuss all of these options with the batching system manufacturer, in order to ensure the most efficient overall batching operation.

Video

Play video
Coperion K-Tron Quick Change feeders allow for fast recipe changes

Literature Downloads

Can we help optimize your process?

Contact us

Subscribe to the Coperion Newsletter