Fluidization in food powder production

Fluidization allowing efficient energy transfer is widely used in food production for drying, cooling, agglomeration, coating and mixing of powdered or granulated materials. Big tonnages of powders with diameters between about 50 μm and some few millimetres are handled daily in fluidized beds, either batchwise or in continuous mode. In this chapter, the principles of gas–solid fluidization are first reviewed. Then the main types of fluidization equipment used are described. And, finally, some examples of the main applications of fluidization in the production of food powders are given