In the processing industry, liquid coating is an essential step that adds a layer of liquid to a product to enhance its nutritional value or flavoring such as adding vitamins and minerals to pet food, cheese coating on popcorn, pelleted poultry feed or molasses coating on horse pellets.
But when your automated processes go awry, manufacturers lose more than downtime—they lose profit. That’s frustrating when the process is intended to maximize efficiency.
This article will explore the common problems that arise during the liquid coating process and how APEC’s equipment can help minimize downtime and maximize quality food products.
Common Problems with Liquid Coating
Clogged Spray Nozzles
One of the most significant issues with liquid coating is clogging the spray nozzles. When using spray nozzles, the fat, salt, and sugar components of the coating solution can solidify and create a build-up that blocks the nozzle orifice.
As a result, the blockage in the spray nozzle can cause downtime for cleaning, maintenance, and repair, resulting in lost production time and increased costs.
Uneven Coating
Another problem is properly controlling the amount of liquid. When traditional spray nozzles are used, the food that is processed closer to the spray nozzles gets more coating.
This uneven coating of products can result in inconsistent flavor, texture, and appearance. All of this can impact the consumer’s perception of the product. In some cases, it can also lead to spoilage and waste of the product.
Insufficient Coating
A third common problem is insufficient coating. In contrast to an uneven coating that results in more coating in some areas, insufficient coating results in bare areas amidst the processed food or animal feed.
Insufficient liquid coating results in a lack of flavor and appearance.
Liquid Coating Solutions
Mistcoater
To address these issues, APEC has developed the Mistcoater. This fully enclosed coating chamber applies liquid through spinning disks, which makes liquid coating machines less prone to clogging. The dual auger also ensures that all surfaces get evenly coated without any breakage to fragile product.
This innovation has made APEC’s machines a favorite among the top US pet food companies, who rely on their technology to deliver high-quality, consistent products to the market.
Powder Coating
In addition to liquid coating solutions, APEC also offers a powder coating solution that can be incorporated into the processing equipment. Incorporating the powder coating application into the liquid coating process increases efficiency and production.
Furthermore, APEC’s liquid coating machines can be customized to suit different industries’ unique requirements. For instance, the pet food industry has different regulations for adding vitamins and minerals to their products than the animal feed industry, and APEC’s machines can be adapted to meet these varying requirements.
Increase Your Liquid Coating Efficiency
Liquid coating is essential to enhance the nutritional value and flavoring of products, from snack food to dog food. However, it comes with its challenges, such as clogging spray nozzles and ensuring proper mixing and uniformity.
Contact APEC to learn more about how automated processing solutions can increase efficiency and ensure consistent, high-quality products.
