When every ingredient counts and consistency is key
Nutraceuticals have become a multi-billion-dollar industry, and it is still growing. Whether it's hormonal supplements, whey protein drink mixes, electrolytes, probiotics, nootropics, adaptogens, multivitamins, meal replacements, or healthy snacks for pets, the nutraceutical industry is booming.
If you are a manufacturer or co-packer mixing nutraceutical products, you know that there are many challenges to overcome before you can trust to have a final quality product that comes out the same, batch after batch. Inconsistent blending leading to micro-ingredients or active ingredients not being evenly dispersed, poor flowability causing clogged equipment and slowed-down production, and keeping the blend quality through scalability are only to mention a few challenges.
But you have come to the right place! With our sanitary blenders from American Process Systems® we offer nutraceutical companies the best material processing equipment. We have over 160 years of experience with material processing, and we will gladly share our knowledge with you. Put us, the mixing specialists, to the test!
Not ready to make a purchase? You can test your product in our fully equipped test lab, or rent our lab-size OptimaBlend® fluidizing paddle blender (with optional ribbon agitator).
Why we usually recommend a fluidizing paddle blender (FPB) when mixing nutraceuticals
Can you blend nutraceuticals in a ribbon blender or plow blender? Yes, for nutraceutical applications that require a lot of shear it could be better to use a ribbon blender, and for some vitamin pre-mix applications a plow blender is the preferred option (we offer ribbon blenders and plow blenders in various sizes). Is a ribbon blender a less expensive option? Usually yes, if you look only at the blender’s price tag. But our experience with customers - big and small - in the nutraceutical industry is that companies enjoy a positive ROI and reap substantial long-term benefits by opting for an OptimaBlend® fluidizing paddle blender. Here is why:
Significantly shorter mixing times: With the OptimaBlend you can mix in 1-2 minutes and achieve a homogeneous batch. A ribbon blender requires about 5 minutes and is prone to overmixing or de-mixing. It’s the specific design of our OptimaBlend that makes the shorter batch times possible. Shorter mixing times mean increased productivity.
Superior homogeneity & precision blending: With the OptimaBlend you achieve lower coefficient of variation (CV) value. The CV value measures how uniform a mixture is. It becomes extra important when micro- or active ingredients are present in the mix, as they must be evenly dispersed.Low CV value means a homogeneous, high-quality mix. Every time. No wasted material on bad batches.
Gentle processing through mechanical fluidization: The design minimizes shear and heat generation protecting fragile or sensitive ingredients. It also limits roll-apart segregation that is common in ribbon mixers. In addition, with an FPB you can blend ingredients of various bulk density, size, and shape. Mechanical fluidization created space between the particles, allowing for better flowability. This makes it ideal for complex recipes with many different ingredients.
If shear or friability is required, choppers can be added to the blender design.
Batch size versatility & flexibility: the fluidizing paddle blender has a fill level of 25-100% for efficient blending (compared to 60-100% with a ribbon blender). This allows nutraceutical producers and co-packers to run different sizes of different products in one blender without affecting quality.
In addition, with an FPB you can charge material anywhere (with a ribbon blender you must charge material in the center).
Sanitary and robust blender design
We manufacture ribbon blenders, paddle blenders, paddle-ribbon blenders, and plow blenders. Whichever type of APS blender you choose for your nutraceutical product, you can rest assured that all our stainless-steel blenders are USDA certified and have a sanitary design that minimizes growth buildup and makes cleaning and maintenance easy. They are made in the USA and built to do material processing jobs for decades!
More about our sanitary design.
Many blender design options to choose from
You can customize your APS blender so that its design fits your application needs perfectly. The most common customization options in the nutraceutical industry are:
- Pneumatically actuated cover to open blender approximately 45 degrees for easy cleaning.
- Bag dump workstations, filtered or non-filtered, for dust control.
- Vibratory tray for faster charging.
- Clean-in-place (CIP) spray balls for convenient cleaning inside the blender.
- Special seals for dust control.
- Multiple gate valves for faster discharge.
Not ready to purchase?
We understand, Buying mixing equipment is a big investment and you want to make sure you choose the right type of mixer or blender for your specific application and requirements. That is why we offer material processing trials in our fully equipped in-house test lab. Here you can try your application and product in our equipment without any purchase obligation, Our Applications & Quality Manager will assist and let you know what we need from you in order to process your specific nutraceutical recipe in one of our APS blenders. We will take samples of the processed mix, analyze them, and send them to you together with an extensive lab report. You can choose to attend the trial in person or via livestream video. Learn more about our test lab services.
If you prefer to do your own testing in our APS or EIRICH equipment, we have some units available for rent.
Leran more - download our brochures
(pdf, 8 MB)
OptimaBlend® Fluidizing Paddle Blender
(pdf, 1 MB)
OptimaBlend® lab-size blender FPB-1P5, working capacity 1.5 cubic feet
(pdf, 1 MB)
Nutraceuticals/Supplements. Learn how one company decreased their mixing time by 90%.
(pdf, 915 KB)
Fully equipped, in-house test lab in Gurnee, IL.
(pdf, 6 MB)
Double-Ribbon Blenders, Paddle-Ribbon Blenders, and Paddle Blenders
(pdf, 4 MB)
Dryers/Reactors and Plow Blenders