Ultrafine grinding technology has emerged in recent years alongside the rapid development of modern chemical, electronic, biological, material, and mineral technologies. It is a cutting-edge, high-tech process widely used in food processing both domestically and internationally.
In the U.S. and Japan, many products such as fruit-flavored herbal tea, freeze-dried fruit powder, kelp powder, and pollen are processed using ultrafine grinding technology. In addition, this technology has led to the emergence of functional foods with good taste, balanced nutrition, and easy digestion and absorption, such as hawthorn powder, konjac powder, and shiitake mushroom powder.
Principle of Ultrafine Grinding Technology
Ultrafine grinding technology uses specialized equipment and specific processing techniques to crush, impact, and shear materials. It reduces particles larger than 3 mm into fine particles smaller than 10–25 μm. This enhances the surface activity of the material and imparts unique functional properties to the final product. Compared with traditional processing technologies such as crushing, breaking and grinding, the particle size of ultrafine grinding products is smaller.
Ultrafine grinding technology is based on the principles of micronization. As materials become ultrafine, their surface molecular arrangement, electron distribution, and crystal structure change. As a result, ultrafine products exhibit superior physical, chemical, and interfacial properties compared to macroscopic particles.
Advantages of Ultrafine Grinding Technology
- Fast speed, can be crushed at low temperature.
- Fine particle size, uniform distribution.
- Save raw materials and improve utilization.
- Reducing pollution.
- Improve the chemical reaction speed of fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis process.
- Facilitates the absorption of food nutrients.
Application in the food industry
In food processing, powders under 25 μm are called ultrafine powders. The methods to produce them are ultrafine grinding technologies.
Common ultrafine grinding methods include jet mill, vibration, ball, and roller mills. Jet milling is more advanced among them. It uses high-pressure gas through nozzles to create strong forces. These forces include impact, collision, and friction to grind materials.
Soft Drink Processing
Currently, jet milling is used to develop soft drinks like tea powder and calcium-rich drinks. Chinese tea culture has a long history. Traditionally, tea is brewed with hot water. Most nutrients remain in the tea residue. Proteins, carbs, minerals, and vitamins are not fully absorbed. Grinding tea leaves into powder (<5 μm) helps nutrient absorption.
Fruit and vegetable processing
Vegetables ground into micro-pastes at low temperature retain nutrients well. Fiber becomes finer, improving texture and taste. Persimmon leaves, often seen as waste, are rich in rutin, choline, flavonoids, carotene, polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamin C, and trace elements. After ultrafine grinding, persimmon leaf powder can be used as a food additive. It can be added to noodles, bread, and other health foods. It can also be made into persimmon leaf health tea.
Grain and oil processing
Adding ultrafine wheat bran or soybean powder to flour creates high-fiber or high-protein flour. Rice, wheat and other grains are processed into ultrafine powder. Rice and wheat processed into ultrafine powder have activated surface starch due to fine particle size. Foods made with this powder are easier to cook and have better flavor and texture. Ultrafine soy powder can be used to make soy milk powder with reduced beany odor. Mung beans and red beans can also be ultrafinely ground to produce high-quality bean paste and soy drinks.
Aquatic product processing
Traditional pearl powder processing involves ball milling for over ten hours to reach a few hundred mesh. However, instant crushing at around -67 °C under purified airflow yields ultrafine pearl powder with average particle size under 10 μm.
Compared to traditional methods, this process better preserves active components. The calcium content can reach 42%, making it suitable for medicinal diets or as a calcium-rich food additive.
Functional food processing
Nowadays, the idea that medicine and food have the same origin and that food therapy is more important than drug therapy has been widely accepted by people. For the production of functional foods, ultrafine grinding technology mainly plays a role in the preparation of base materials (such as dietary fiber, fat substitutes, etc.).
Spices and condiments processing
Ultrafine grinding technology, as a new food processing method, improves the quality of traditional spices and seasonings. After micronization, the large porosity of the particles absorbs and retains aroma, making the flavor more intense and long-lasting. At the same time, ultrafine grinding produces uniform, well-dispersed particles with improved flowability, dissolution speed, and absorption rates. The mouthfeel is noticeably enhanced, and the flavor intensity of spices and seasonings processed this way is several times, even ten times, stronger than with traditional methods. Ultrafine grinding technology will bring revolutionary changes to traditional Chinese seasoning products.
conclusion
In conclusion, ultrafine grinding technology significantly enhances the quality and functionality of food products. By improving the texture, flavor retention, and nutrient absorption of ingredients, it offers a promising advancement in food processing. As the technology continues to evolve, it will likely lead to even more innovative and efficient methods for creating higher-quality food products, making it a valuable tool in the food industry.
epic powder
Epic Powder, 20+ years of work experience in the ultrafine powder industry. Actively promote the future development of ultra-fine powder, focusing on crushing,grinding,classifying and modification process of ultra-fine powder. Contact us for a free consultation and customized solutions! Our expert team is dedicated to providing high-quality products and services to maximize the value of your powder processing. Epic Powder—Your Trusted Powder Processing Expert !
