Submicron Homogeneous Emulsions
Quadro® high shear mixing equipment successfully overcomes the
problems inherent in submicron homogenizing by maximizing productivity while cutting production costs during the emulsification
and homogenization process.
What is Submicron Homogenization?
The preparation of a nano-scale or submicron homogeneous emulsion involves the homogenization of oil-in-water liquid phases with a mean droplet size ranging from 50nm to less than 1000nm. The stability of a submicron emulsion, achieved through submicron homogenizing, depends on droplet size and the surfactant chemical system (and its concentration) used in the formulation.
What is Submicron Homogenization?
Submicron emulsions are beneficial for products across numerous industries, including food & beverage, consumer beauty, personal care & cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Using a homogenizer for emulsions to produce these types of goods — which might include sauces, seasonings, cosmetic creams, pharmaceutical suspensions, and more — is often the most effective way to create the smaller droplet sizes and higher molecular density that these commodities require.
Reduced droplet sizes address the following issues:
- Short product shelf life due to unstable emulsions causing separation of ingredients
- The need for thickening agents to extend product shelf life
- Poor penetration of active ingredients, such as those used in topical creams and sunblocks
- Inconsistent release of additive ingredients over time
Several processing methods are used to produce submicron emulsions, but they all suffer from the same limitations:
- Restricted capacity
- High energy consumption
- Frequent maintenance requirements
- High processing cost due to the above problems
Each emulsion product and application will have different ideal droplet sizes. In most cases, sizes between two and five microns will be suitable, though there are many instances where much smaller droplets are required in order to achieve the necessary material properties and quality levels.
Achieve Submicron Droplet Size
The Quadro® HV-Emulsifier provides more process shear energy than a conventional rotor-stator mill, so submicron droplet size is easily achieved without the subsequent processing of a high-pressure homogenizer. Unlike colloid mills or valve homogenizers, the HV technology effectively creates a submicron emulsion from two separate liquid phases — for example, the homogenization of oil in water — in a single step. This means that the traditional setup of a rotor-stator mixer feeding a valve homogenizer can now be replaced with one machine — the Quadro® HV-Emulsifier — while increasing productivity and reducing cost.
Choose the Quadro® HV-Emulsifier for your submicron homogenizing and experience the benefits of higher capacity, lower energy usage, and reduced maintenance.
The emulsion process provides numerous advantages, such as:
- Improved stability - creating more reliable, predictable product quality
- Uniform texture - aids product quality and performance
- Taste benefits for food products, ensuring that flavorings are uniformly distributed
- Longer shelf life as a result of improved stability
- Cost benefits in scenarios where a more stable emulsion requires fewer additional materials and processes
- High-pressure homogenization as a process for emulsion formation is sometimes viewed as cost or energy prohibitive.
- In addition to the above benefits — which cannot be achieved through other methods with the same level of quality and consistency — emulsification technology is continually evolving to offer improved productivity and more favorable resource usage and cost.
Ready to reduce waste and maximize your yield with our powerful submicron emulsification equipment?
Our team has many years of experience supporting a range of emulsification requirements with equipment that is scalable and designed to meet 3-A® sanitary mixer standards.
Contact our team of experts today for more information about our industry-leading equipment or if you’re ready to make a decision you can request a quote.
Related Resources
- Quadro® High Shear Homogenizer and Wet Mill
- Blog: Everything You Need To Know About Food Homogenization
- Blog: Oil In Water And Water In Oil Emulsions: What's The Difference?
- Blog: Major Benefits Of High Shear Mixers In The Food Industry
- Blog: Manufacturing Ophthalmic Emulsions and Suspensions
- Blog: How Makeup Is Made With Cosmetic Manufacturing Equipment
- Case Studies
Related Mixing Applications
Quadro® Liquids High Shear Mixers can be used in the following applications:
Powder Dispersion
Emulsification
Deagglomeration
Batch Mixing
