Unrivalled Drum Mixer Supplied to Major Gelatine Producer

Phil Black - PII Editor 23/03/2018

639 3 minutes read

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In 2015, one of the world's largest gelatin producers was looking for a new mixer for its facility in the USA, and their search soon led them to Lindor in the Netherlands.

The company supplies the largest drum mixer in the industry. This customer is located in the interior of the U.S., and delivering this giant to their site was a great adventure for Lindor.

The L25000 is unrivalled, having a maximum batch volume of 25,000 litres and a batch weight of approximately 20 tons. But that's not the only reason the company chose Lindor.

The company’s gentle touch technology has proven its value for other gelatine and food companies. One of its most important features is the extremely low mix energy (less than 2 W/kg) required.

Not heated

The low amount of energy required prevents breakage, dust formation and heating build-up. The latter is especially important because gelatin melts when heated. The horizontal construction of the Lindor drum mixer was also important for this customer, as this made it easy to install into the production line.

Process delivers consistent quality to a natural product

Gelatin is a natural product, which means that its quality can vary. Nevertheless, the company knows how to achieve a consistent and high-quality final result. And this starts from its source. Gelatin is obtained from the hides and bones of pigs and bovine animals.

Only the highest quality is accepted by the company. The gelatin is released and then cleaned, purified, and heated under pressure to a high temperature. The resulting jelly is dried and converted into powder or granulate.

Through heat, the company separates the gelatine solution from the solids and fats. The solution is then strained through very fine filters to remove the last traces of fibres and fats. In the next step, calcium, salts and soda are extracted from the mixture.

After this, a vacuum evaporation system thickens the solution. The solution is then sterilised under strict hygiene conditions, after which it is dried on a perforated surface.

The mixer's role

The mixer can be found at the end of the production process. The L25000 mixes the gelatin granules and gelatin powder with additives such as pectin, to achieve the ideal texture, taste or stability depending on the product required.

The gelatine is used in food, such as marshmallows, wine gums and baking powders, as an emulsifier (natural replacement for e-numbers). But gelatin also plays an important part in the pharmaceutical industry, as the gel caps of capsules are often made of gelatin.

Hygiene is of extreme importance

Absolute hygiene is crucial at every stage of production. The mixer is no exception to this, which is one of the reasons the company chose Lindor’s product.

In order to comply with this customer's legislation and safety requirements, Lindor first carried out a comprehensive risk analysis and discussed the necessary details of the machine’s design with their OSHA officer (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).

Mixer adapted to requirements

At the customer's request, Lindor fitted the mixer with six instead of three cleaning and inspection hatches for even better accessibility, therefore allowing easier and more efficient cleaning. The hatches have a special fast-lock to enable them to be opened and closed quickly and easily.

Furthermore, this mixer is equipped with a large sized, retractable inlet and outlet. This also allows operators to inspect and clean the inlet, outlet and seals quicker and more thoroughly. The better the accessibility, the better and quicker to clean!

Worldwide

Building the world's largest drum mixer is one thing, but getting it to its destination somewhere in the world is the next adventure. This was an interesting challenge for Lindor.

With an unladen weight of 22,500 kilograms and a height of over 4 metres, complex arrangements needed to be made to get this machine to its destination.

Lindor had this huge machine transported by inland barge from the factory in Dordrecht to the port of Rotterdam. From there, it was shipped to the USA. From the port on the east coast, this colossus was driven through six states, requiring a separate oversized load permit for each state.