Soft Drink Manufacturer - Preparation of Sugar Syrups

The sugar content of carbonated and still soft drinks varies depending on whether the product is delivered ready for consumption, or as a concentrate (commonly referred to as “syrup”). Common formulas may contain concentrated spice or fruit juice, acidity controls, preservatives, solvents, antioxidants, and pigments. By “Food,” and other “sugar-free” sugary drinks are replaced by sweeteners such as Aspartame.

The process

One of the first stages in the normal production process is to prepare sugar syrup. Sugar is used in granulated or liquid form. Liquid sugar simply needs to be mixed with water, but when granulated sugar is used, many aspects of the processing must be considered:

Small-scale production of low-sugar syrups may be done at ambient temperature. However, with certain concentrated products, 60% or more sugar solutions are rare, requiring hot water to help dissolve.

For large operations, temperatures of up to 95 ℉ (35 ℃) may be generated to accelerate melting.

Some powdered ingredients may be dry mixed with half the sugar, which helps prevent the mixing and "weight" of the simple powder that often floats.

The problem

Liquid sugar may be more expensive than granulated sugar.
The melting of powdered sugar with a simple movement is a slow process.
Ordinary agitators are unable to dissolve high sugar levels at local temperatures.
Heating water for convenience adds to the cost and does not save energy.
The cooling process also adds to the cost and processing time.
Crystallization of syrup may occur during heating/cooling.
Incomplete solubilization may lead to loosening or even blockage of vessels.

Solution

The Wahal Engineer High Shear Mixer may significantly reduce mixing times and eliminate the need for water heating. This may be achieved with Batch Mixers in the tank or by adding a Wahal Engineer In-Line Mixer to the existing system. This works as follows:

Stage 1

The high-speed rotation of the rotor blades creates a strong absorption of water and sugar granules on the vessel to the work surface.

Stage 2

Centrifugal force drives objects into the work area around the head when they are under the grinding action in the space between the rotor and the stator wall.

Stage 3

The product is forced out of the stator as new materials enter the subject matter. In a short mixing cycle, all substances pass over the work head, gradually reducing the particle size and exposing the growing area of sugar to the surrounding liquid, speeding up the dissolution process.

Benefits

The combination of reducing granule size and strong mixing significantly reduces mixing times.
66% sugar syrup may be produced at ambient temperature.
Various flexibility allows the manufacturer to use sugar in the form of granulated or syrup.
The Wahal Engineer mixer may also disassemble and apply water solubility and stabilizing agents such as CMC and Xanthan gum in part of the time taken by other means.

There are several products in the Wahal Engineer range that are suitable for this application, their selection is determined by the requirements of each process including the size of the collection.