FOAMING PROCESS ANALYSIS FOR A STIRRED COLUMN WITH A NARROW ANNULAR REGION

A jacketed stirred column was used to produce foamed products under st eady-state flow conditions. Power dissipation during foaming processes was measured and used to define gas-liquid mixing behaviour. The infl uence of paddles' diameter and rotation speed on the density and the m ean bubble diameter within the foamed food was studied for two model f oods, with different rheological properties. Weber number was used to express bubble diameter as a function of the physical properties of th e raw material and process parameters. Simulation suggests that raw ma terial with high viscosity and an apparatus with narrow gap favours fo aming in continuous processes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.