7 replies to this topic

[Siddiqui9042]

We are making flavored powder seasoning from some time. The product stays fine through out winter/dry season but starts caking during summer/humid season. To counter it we have installed HVAC system that maintains 50-55%RH in production area. The raw material warehouse still remain exposed to high humidity. We also use 2% Silicone dioxide. The moisture percentage is around 3% in end product but still it becomes hard.
I think It might due to icing sugar as we use around 25-30% icing sugar and don't grind it in our facility, we purchase it in powder form. Usually it does caking in raw material warehouse within 2-3 Days. The MC in fresh Icing sugar is 0.15% and stored icing sugar is around 0.4% .
Can anyone in this regard, what can be the source of caking in my final product.

[matthewcc]

Are they herbs or spices, and have you looked at whether it could be the heat?  What are temperatures in the raw material warehouse? 

 

We have noticed powders clumping after we have sent them to heat-treatment.

[Siddiqui9042]

The powdered form spices have less than 9% Moisture content. And the warehouse temp is around 25-35°C. The mixing process also doesn't heat up the product.

[matthewcc]

I was just wondering because I thought it could be heat-treatment, but it sounds like it is happening during storage alone.  However, the storage conditions alone of up to 35 degrees C would be what I would focus on.  I am unfamiliar with the compositions you mentioned though with the high sugar content.  Is there a way you can reduce the temperature limit to no more than 22.8 degrees C?  That is what we have in our warehouse.

[jfrey123]

In my old spice plant, we noticed things like red bell pepper (powder and flake) would often clump.  Boss said it was due to the natural sugar content from the peppers (we didn't own the product in this plant, so I'm unable to speculate what the material spec would have said).  SiO2 was commonly added to products we would blend with red bell because of this, but it still didn't totally solve the problem.  We also observed that warmer summer temps in our warehouse caused more bricking, practically melting these low moisture powders and flakes together: green bell not so much for some reason, but chopped carrots and flakes would also do it to an extent.

 

When you mention blending doesn't add heat, can I ask what type of blending you're talking about?  We used tumbling blenders and a ribbon blender, and I can say the ribbon blender did indeed warm the product.  Not in a way that affected safety, but absolutely the ribbon blender's mechanical agitation and friction would warm the product.  But because the blender used those blades, it was a preferred method for items using red bell to break up the clumps.  And sometimes we would run the bricked red bell through that machine before using elsewhere in our process just to break up the chunks.

[Siddiqui9042]

We also use ribbon mixer for blending. The Temp rise isn't significant enough but usually finish good coming of ribbon mixer is around 30-31C. 

[MDaleDDF]

So it's caking after being packaged?  

We have all large ribbon blenders, and we have a few items that do this.   We have on our largest mixer a mill on the dump that really chops up the mix into a very fine powder.    A few items we have, they absolutely have to go through this mixer.    We also have a few items that cook in the mixer pretty badly, and we've at times had to resort to throwing dry ice in the mixer with those items, but it doesn't sound like that's your issue.

I'm guessing adding a mill to your discharge chute would help.

[matthewcc]

I agree with jfrey123 except that it seems the main temperature control should be in storage, where it seems that the upper limit is too high.

 

I suspect the high temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius, in combination with the composition of the ingredients, such as if they have a high sugar content, would be causing the clumping.  I recommend that you find a way to limit your temperature in storage to no more than 73 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 22.8 degrees C.