Food and Confectionery Mixing Technology

Traceability is becoming more important throughout the food sector as brands and suppliers seek to identify weak points, safety issues, and ethical concerns in their supply chains. With appropriate controls to monitor each input, our equipment improves traceability compared to what’s possible with batch processing.

Additionally, continuous processing offers higher precision than batch processing, ultimately eliminating batch-to-batch variations that can jeopardize a candy brand’s reputation. This efficient approach to manufacturing supports Just-in-Time inventory management philosophies and facilitates fully automated production.

Readco equipment complies with all relevant food safety standards, including:

• USDA 3/A dairy
• ASME pressure vessels
• FDA Food Safety
• GMP
• OSHA

Readco will test your recipes and formulations in our lab to verify that they can be produced on our equipment. We invite you to visit and see our equipment in use, and we offer rental equipment for evaluation in your facility.

What we can’t do is tell you who else uses our equipment. Our customers quickly learn that continuous processing capabilities provide a competitive advantage, with most choosing to hold their use of our solutions close. Your products, processes, and use of our equipment will be treated with the same level of confidentiality.

Learn more about the products we’ve worked on by downloading our case studies.

• Nutrition Cereal Bar
• Extracts & Supplements
• Peanut Butter
• Plant Based Protein
• Precise Moisture
• Systems Control

Our Selection of Mixing Equipment for Food Industries

Enhance your product quality and consistency with food mixing equipment from Readco. We offer efficient, high-performance machinery to optimize your automated production processes.

CP Mixer

Our continuous mixing machine (Continuous Processor) offers a convenient, automated way to make food batches. The Readco Continuous Processor can be configured to provide just the right amount of mixing intensity.  You can use the equipment for low-viscosity and high-viscosity applications — the machine constantly adds raw materials and liquids to the mixer and discharges homogenous material constantly, streamlining production processes.

CH Reactor

Utilize a deep vacuum, heat transfer, and agitation to perform various complex reactions and assist with food drying processes. Our CH reactor equipment works well with various applications, including temperature or oxygen-sensitive materials. The machine enables the feeding of primary liquids through injection ports in a barrel for multipurpose production processes.

SC Processor

Optimize volatile reduction processes and transform your materials into dry powder. Our SC processing machine offers stable heat transfer for continuous drying or evaporative applications. The process helps create a uniform output while minimizing waste.

Continuous Processing Solutions for Plant-Based Meats and Vegan Proteins

Plant-based meat analogs have gained popularity as a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional animal-based meats. Our products aim to replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of meat while using plant-based ingredients.

Explore how our solutions can help employees overcome the challenges of plant-based meat production.

1. Hydration and Emulsification

Challenge: Properly hydrating protein powders and achieving emulsification with fat are critical steps in creating a meat-like texture. Plant proteins tend to be less cohesive than animal proteins, making hydration and emulsification challenging.

Solution: The production process involves mixing protein powders with water to achieve hydration. Additionally, emulsifiers and fats are added to create a stable emulsion. The choice of emulsifier and fat type significantly impacts the final product’s texture. Achieving the right balance between hydration and emulsification is essential.

2. Determining Protein Ratio

Challenge: Determining the upper limit of protein content in plant-based meat analogs is crucial. Too much protein can lead to undesirable textures or off-flavors.

Solution: Extensive testing is required to find the optimal protein-to-binder ratio. This involves evaluating sensory attributes, texture, and mouthfeel. The goal is to maximize protein content without compromising overall quality.

3. Thickening and Texturizing

Challenge: Achieving the desired texture—similar to real meat—is essential for consumer acceptance. The final thickening and texturizing solution play a significant role in this aspect.

Solution: Incorporating thickening agents (such as gums or starches) and texturizers (such as fibers or gels) helps create the desired texture. These ingredients enhance binding and mimic the fibrous structure of meat.

4. Heat Treatment

Challenge: Ensuring food safety by achieving a kill step during processing is critical. The Continuous Processor must achieve a final product exit temperature of at least 165°F.

Solution: Our CP is designed to handle high temperatures. By adjusting the jacketed barrel temperature, the product discharge temperature can be precisely controlled. A temperature of 165°F serves as an effective kill step, meeting safety requirements.

• Process Conditions
• Protein Powder: 16%
• Binder: 4%
• Water: 70%
• Fat: 5%
• Emulsifier and Flavor: 5%
• Feed Rate: 800 lb/hr
• Shaft Speed: 200 RPM

Benefits of Our CP for the Food and Confectionery Industries

Our CP offers several advantages for plant-based meat analog production:

1. Customized Paddle Arrangement: The CP allows flexibility in paddle arrangement, ensuring efficient mixing and homogenization.
2. Shorter Cycle Time: Multiple operations can be performed in a single pass through the mixer, reducing production time.
3. Fewer Process Steps: The CP streamlines the production process, minimizing complexity.
4. Less Waste: Efficient mixing reduces material waste.
5. Product Consistency: The CP ensures uniformity in texture and flavor across batches.

Creating high-quality plant-based meat analogs involves overcoming hydration, emulsification, and texturization challenges. The Continuous Processor, with its customizable features, plays a crucial role in achieving consistent and safe products that meet consumer expectations.

Why Choose Readco Kurimoto’s Continuous Mixing Equipment?

Readco has been at the forefront of industrial mixing technology for over a century. Our team stays current with the latest innovations and machine standards to provide valuable advice that aligns with your business needs.

We’re committed to helping you overcome industry challenges and outperform your competition. When you partner with us, we’ll help you streamline your production processes, maximize your profitability, and scale your growth. We offer:

• Various industry solutions: In addition to meeting the demands of confectionery manufacturers for reliable, high-quality machinery, we supply continuous mixers and dry powder blending machines for businesses across many industries, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pigments, food products, and more. We utilize our extensive experience and industry knowledge to create custom solutions for your facilities.
• Lab testing processes: Feel confident trying our custom-built production lines before you buy them. During our on-site process development testing, our staff will build a continuous production line with required pumps and feeders, test your ingredients, and make your product.
• Collaborative approach: We can work side-by-side with your production personnel, chemists, scientists, and engineers to develop a continuous mixing solution. We offer excellent communication and work with you every step of the way.

Equipment suitable for this industry: