Many aspects of mixing equipment for snack and bakery applications, including doughs and batters, continue to evolve, including more automated controls, better sanitary design, vacuum/pressure capabilities and shorter cycling times. The latest mixers also are designed to handle gluten-free products and help users meet requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Market trends favoring all-natural ingredients, greater food safety and artisanal foods are increasing demand for equipment that can blend quickly and thoroughly without over-processing and potentially damaging any shear-sensitive or heat-sensitive ingredients. As a result, mixers need to have the flexibility to handle a wide range of ingredients ranging from fragile flake products to products with high fat content and those that are so fine that they behave like water when mixed and discharged.