A particle’s size can tell quite a bit about both the particle itself and the product it is found in. For example, very small particles can increase the bioavailability of pharmaceutical drugs or improve health status by boosting satiety and reducing food intake. Regardless of such benefits, however, it is incredibly difficult to achieve the small particle sizes desired for these types of products on a consistent basis. While homogenization is a preferred method for reducing particle size, it is significantly more effective when customization is an option.
Desired Size
Regarding particle size, a good rule of thumb is ‘the smaller the better’. Homogenizers can reduce particle size with their mechanical forces, which work together to break up the droplets. Process intensity, more so than other forces, contributes to this action. Higher intensity correlates to smaller particle size. Homogenizers that can attain 45,000 PSI or higher are preferable, as higher intensities reduce the number of passes needed. In circumstances where a larger particle size is desired, the process intensity can be easily adjusted to attain the desired product.
Type of Product Being Made
While one lab may be interested in attaining small oil droplets, another may be working with tablet coatings. The product can change from day to day, and it is important that the particle reduction equipment can be customized for optimal results. The use of impact with grinding beads, for example, allows a homogenizer to effectively reduce difficult-to-disrupt cells and materials. Impact, along with other mechanical forces, can easily be fine-tuned to accommodate the specific sample.
Consistency & Efficiency
Without an efficient method of particle size reduction, a product can be excessively costly to produce, have a diminished shelf life and contain weaker sensorial & biophysical properties. Because conventional equipment only uses one force to reduce particle size, a customizable homogenizer can ensure that multiple forces are being combined in the right way to achieve consistently sized particles in a shorter amount of time.
Pion: High Pressure BEE Brand Homogenizers Give You The Advantage
The search for particle size reduction equipment should begin with a consideration of how the above-listed factors will improve the quality of your products. Although many companies manufacture homogenizers, few are of the high quality needed to achieve reliable and reproducible results. Importantly, even fewer are customizable to a product’s specific needs. One example of equipment that does meet such expectations is the high-pressure homogenizer by Pion.
Pion's products are trusted by researchers and lab managers around the world for key benefits, such as production of nano/micro emulsions, dispersions, and suspensions; importantly, this equipment can achieve consistent particle sizes at or below 100 nm, a key benefit for researchers & corporations across a wide variety of industries.
