Advances in control of food mixing operations

Mixing is a ubiquitous unit operation within the food industry and employed not only to combine multiple ingredients, but also to control reactions and modify the structure of foods. Failure of the mixing process may result in poor quality, organoleptic or functional attributes of foods along with product safety concerns. The industry is increasingly adopting automation and advanced control strategies such as Process Analytical Technology. Sensors can provide both insights into the complex mechanisms of mixing along with effective control. Here we discuss some recent advances in the control of food mixing operations.