Many industries depend on ultrasonic emulsification to get their products out the door and in front of customers. Put plainly, ultrasonic emulsification is basically vigorous mixing, and many industries use it because it is the only way to facilitate the combining of certain types of substances: those that are naturally immiscible, like oil and water, for example. Keep reading for a quick overview of ultrasonic emulsification, the industries that rely on it and info on an alternative piece of equipment that can vastly improve the process:
What is Ultrasonic Emulsification?
As mentioned, ultrasonic emulsification is a powerful way of mixing two liquids so that one is completely dispersed throughout the other and neither will revert back to its original properties over time. Of course, there are other ways of facilitating emulsification, but ultrasonic emulsification relies on ultrasound energy (high frequency vibrations that cause cavitation) to forcibly combine the two substances. Think about many popular food items, like salad dressing; you know that oftentimes you need to shake the bottle before pouring in order to evenly blend the dressing’s ingredients and not end up with a bowl full of oil (or vinegar) only! Ultrasonic emulsification is just a high-tech method of performing the same process. Since oil and water do not mix, (no matter how much shaking or cavitation is applied) an emulsifier or surfactant, an additional ingredient that mixes well with both water and oil, is added so that two substances mixed with the right mixing technology can stay mixed in a homogeneous state.
Industries that Depend on Ultrasonic Emulsification
In addition to the food industry, there are many other industries that create common and highly useful products via ultrasonic emulsification.
- The Pharmaceutical Industry
In the pharmaceutical industry, it is often necessary to create oil-in-water emulsions in order to make medicines more palatable and to increase their efficacy by evenly dispersing their active ingredients. Without ultrasonic emulsification, for instance, many drug products would remain in an unmixed state, too bitter to ingest and/or unable to work effectively since they would inevitably deliver inconsistent dosages of the ingredients needed every time they were taken. It's just like that bottle of dressing that was not shaken before being poured and therefore spurted out alternating globs of oil and vinegar but never an actual vinaigrette.
- The Beauty Industry
Similarly, most cosmetics, perfumes, and skin and hair care products need to undergo some type of emulsification process to ensure that they look appealing and can be applied evenly across the skin. Ultrasonic emulsification, in particular, simultaneously mixes and breaks apart substances into incredibly small particles (more so than mere mixers or blenders), enabling manufacturers to better guarantee that their products will possess a smoother consistency and be more easily absorbed into the skin. Furthermore, substances with smaller particle sizes are more stable, meaning they last longer than products that haven’t been properly mixed or have been mixed using only mechanical means.
- The Cannabis Industry
Perhaps, however, the cannabis industry is currently reaping the best results as a result of their emulsification processes. In this rapidly growing market, the best-tasting and most potent cannabis products are the ones in demand. Ultrasonic emulsification allows manufacturers to guarantee a consistent product each and every time it leaves a production line since it reduces the size of cannabinoid molecules, making it easier for them to be absorbed by the body and also delivering a more uniform amount of active ingredient with every swig, bite, puff, swallow, chew, rub, spray or any other type of ingestion/application!
The BEE International Advantage
There’s no doubt that emulsification has changed the game for countless industries, allowing them to create products that last longer, taste better and/or provide better and more consistent effects than those that haven’t undergone the same type of robust processing.
There is an even better alternative, though: high pressure homogenizers (HPH). Our HPHs here at BEE International, for example, utilize a patented Emulsifying Cell (EC) technology that surpasses the limited cavitation capacity of ultrasonic equipment and also employs other mixing forces of turbulence such as shear and impact. Control levels of each of these forces is in the hands of the user with BEE HPHs which means you can control the most efficient process for your product and the very best efficiency yield. Products emulsified with our homogenizers possess the tightest distribution of the smallest possible particle sizes and provide even higher quality products than ultrasonic mixers, sonicators, or other types of sonic mixers. Unlike sonication, BEE's proprietary homogenizing processes can scale up with ease as all our technology is built on the same platform (from R&D or Lab to pilot to manufacturing). Ultimately, this means companies spend less time and less money during their process manufacturing!
There’s a reason we’re called BEE; we offer the “Best Emulsifying Equipment” on the market. To learn more about our products and the technologies that make our HPHs the best option for your own emulsifying needs, please contact us today.
