#Product Trends
amixon® mixing technology for professional tea preparation
Similar to spices, tea should retain its flavors even if it has to undergo a sterilization process. In addition to other types of "sterilization /degermination", steam sterilization with amixon® reactors can be used.
Tea is a high-quality commodity. Around 6.1 million tons of tea was harvested worldwide in the year 2017 with China (40%) and India (22%) being the largest producers followed by Kenya (7%), Sri Lanka (6%) and Turkey and Vietnam (4% each). Pakistan, Russia and the USA are the three biggest tea importers. In Europe, according to Wikipedia, the per capita consumption in East Friesland is the highest, followed by Great Britain, Ireland and Poland. The pleasure of tea drinking, alongside the reviving effect and color of the infusion, is derived from the taste and aroma.
Quality management for good tea should start in the field/ tea garden: Determination of the time of harvest, purity of the harvest and transport. A quality-determining step concerns fermentation. The tea leaves are rolled after harvesting to release moisture containing the plant's unique enzymes. The presence of oxygen then triggers the fermentation. The color of the tea leaves changes, as does the aroma. A feed of hot, dry air or steam halts the fermentation. A short fermentation period results in green tea, a longer fermentation produces black tea. The tea is then dried precisely according to its type and prepared for packaging and safe transport. It must be stored in cool, dry surroundings.
Tea comes from many countries and is blended and drunk in many more. This places great demands on the industrial mixing and preparation technology.
Analyzing the tasks of a final mixer in the tea processing factory, the important factors are the following:
• High mixing quality
• Electrostatic charging must be avoided at all costs
• Minimal energy input (retention of particle structure and size)
• Short mixing times
• Universal applicability for different particle qualities (fibrous or finely dispersed, coarse to very coarse, free-flowing to clumping, dry or damp)
• Ideal mixing qualities despite different fill rates
• Fast and even wetting when liquid aromatics are added or when dust binding is all that is required
• Rapid and residue-free emptying
• Can be cleaned in dry or wet condition
• Optional automatic cleaning
• Optionally sterilizable
• Reliable drying after wet cleaning / short set-up time
• Convenient, ergonomic accessibility.
• Large and hygienic inspection doors.
As a manufacturer of precision mixers, amixon GmbH from Paderborn has dedicated itself particularly intensively to the above-mentioned tasks and established a wide variety of solutions based on vertical helical mixers. To a certain extent, 40 years of experience for the tea, aroma, herb and spice industries have been accumulated here. A well-equipped pilot plant allows practical trials for small and large batches; optionally also beyond 5m³. The trials also provide the user with valuable suggestions for a wide range of processing details. Often, several process steps can be combined.
