Homogenization

The process of making a homogeneous mixture from ingredients that do not mix naturally.

Homogenization, which makes it possible to obtain a uniform consistency of material, is mainly used in dairy processing. However, the possibilities of using the process are much wider. All kinds of materials, both solid and liquid, as well as their mixtures, can be homogenized. The process is used both in industry: in the production of paints, cosmetics, plastics or medicines, as well as in laboratories, where the homogenization process often precedes the actual analysis, allowing, in the process of grinding the tested material, to extract specific compounds of interest present in the sample. The homogenization process is carried out in specially designed equipment called homogenizers. We are perfectly illustrated by this process of milk fat homogenization, which is a typical mechanical procedure, during which milk pumped through a narrow slit under high pressure and high speed. As a result of this confluence, conditions are created during which fat aggregates are broken up, after which new fat aggregates are maintained in a state of dispersion and obtaining at this point aggregates in the form of fat deposits between the fat and serum phases of milk. The concentration of fat and the physical state of the fat phase in the being homogenized process, as well as the homogenization pressure, are the main factors determining the size and dispersion of the resulting fat aggregates. However, the homogenization pressure in this case is the most important factor.

Due to the method of grinding the material, we can distinguish several types of homogenizers.