Oat Milk Manufacture using Silverson High Shear Mixers
Non-dairy or plant-based milks, such as Oat milks, have become increasingly popular over the past few years and as a result Silverson has been seeing more enquiries from manufacturers in the beverage industry seeking guidance and process solutions for this application. In response, Silverson has released a video showing how their mixing equipment can be beneficial in different stages of the manufacturing process. The processes shown in this video can be applied to the manufacture of other plant based/non-dairy milks such as nut milks like almond and hazlenut, legume milks such as soya and coconut milks.
Oat milks can be manufactured in a number of different ways, but the end goal is the same. Whether the oat milk is to be made from whole, cut or rolled oats, or from oat flour, they all need to be reduced down to a fine particle size in order to achieve the correct mouthfeel and product consistency. Many manufacturers also require the oats to be ground as finely as possible to minimise the amount of waste generated and save on processing costs. But equipment used for grinding may not be suitable for creating emulsions or dispersing gums and thickeners which are often added at a later stage in the manufacturing process.
The manufacture of Oat milks and other types of non-dairy milks consists of lots of different mixing processes. But rather than using several pieces of processing equipment, the disintegration of the oats, dispersion of enzymes, incorporation of gums and thickeners and in some cases plant oils, can all be handled by one Silverson High Shear mixer. The interchangeable workheads available for all Silverson rotor/stator mixers ensure that full dispersion of all ingredients, is possible. It also helps to future proof the production process as raw materials can be changed and blends of different plant-based ingredients can be introduced.
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A shown in the ‘How to’ video, a Silverson mixer is able to disperse any type of oats into water while reducing the particles down to a fine, uniform size. The high-speed rotation of the rotor blades within the workhead, draws the oats and surrounding liquid into the workhead. Once in the workhead the oats are subjected to a milling action between the ends of the rotor blades and the inner wall of the stator, reducing them down. The mix is then forced, at high velocity, out through the perforations in the stator, in this case a fine stator screen, and back into the body of the mix. This sets up a circulatory pattern of mixing which ensures the oats will pass through the workhead many times, gradually reducing down until the desired particle size is achieved.
The way in which a Silverson mixer works allows the same machines to be used for subsequent steps in the manufacturing process, such as liquid/liquid blending when enzymes are added to the liquified oats, or when plant oils are added to the aqueous phase.
The mixer can also be used for powder/liquid mixing. As Oat milks are not naturally shelf stable, many formulations include stabilisers such as locust bean gum to help improve stability. But these powdered ingredients are difficult to disperse and hydrate with conventional mixing equipment such as stirrers and agitators which do not create the shear energy necessary to break agglomerates down once they have formed. A Silverson mixer can ensure an agglomerate-free dispersion and maximised yield. The mixer will rapidly incorporate the powder, with the gums being drawn into the workhead and hydrated before agglomerates are able to form.
Once all of the ingredients have been incorporated and the mixture has passed through a filtration stage, the Oat Milk may be fed through a High Pressure Homogeniser. This is to ensure that the fat droplets are finely dispersed so as to be undetectable in the mouthfeel. Where a Silverson mixer is used as a preliminary processing step, this ensures that particles are uniformly and finely dispersed. This will allow the mixture to pass through the High Pressure Homogeniser at a much faster rate, reducing processing times and saving on costs.
There are a number of Silverson mixers suitable for the manufacture of Oat milks. The batch size, raw materials and formulation dictate which would be most suitable for each individual customer.
As shown in the ‘How to’ video a Batch mixer can carry out all of the previously mentioned mixing processes. But for larger batches, an In-Line mixer may be more suitable.
Silverson In-Line mixers can be used in conjunction with Batch Mixers, Duplex Disintegrators and Bottom Entry mixers where whole nuts, seeds or oats are used; the In-tank mixer provides the initial particle size reduction and the In-Line mixer further refines the product to obtain the desired finished texture.
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