Blending and Mixing Syrups

Syrup is defined as “a thick sticky solution of sugar and water often flavored or medicated” or “the concentrated juice of a fruit or plant.”

Many types of syrups are used in the food, beverage and candy industries, as well as several in the pharmaceutical industry. Common types of syrups include:

• Beverage – simple (sweetener + water) & finished (flavor ingredients added)
• Corn – various grades and modifications, derived from cornstarch
• Fruit – for canned or frozen fruits, jellies and preserves
• Maple – natural, in various grades
• Table (or Pancake) – maple flavored + fruit flavors
• Toppings – fruit, caramel, chocolate, etc.
• Candy – to make caramels, nougats, chocolate, hard candies, etc.
• Medicine – cough & cold remedies

We usually think of syrups as adding sweetness to a product or food item, but they also contribute functional attributes. One functional attribute is flavor carrying, which allows flavor to spread and stay on the tongue longer for better adsorption by receptors. Syrups also add viscosity and body to products, act as a natural preservative to reduce water activity, and serve as a carrier for medicines making them more palatable and providing a soothing, coating action.

Blended syrups are usually concentrated and viscous, requiring low speed, gear drive mixers like the Rotomixx portable mixer or the RotoMAXX low shear large capacity agitator. Frozen fruit syrups containing ice crystals can quickly be made ready-to-use with a Rotosolver high shear mixer. Candy manufacturers use Rotosolvers to make fondants and marshmallows. Syrups can be accurately blended or diluted with Admixer sanitary static mixers.

The Rotosolver high shear batch mixer or Dynashear inline emulsifier are excellent for syrup make-up. These applications typically require:

• High flow
• High shear for tougher ingredients
• Uniform blending
• Dispersing CMC into corn syrup

Admix has experience with all types of syrups requiring powerful low speed mixers or high speed, high-shear dispersers. We offer systems to entrain air or eliminate air while mixing. Admix products can mix inline continuously 24/7, in batch mode, or can use a combination of both.