³Ô¹ÏȺ

Cavitational Heat Treatment Engineered for Sensitive Products and Functional Protein Performance

The APV Cavimasterâ„¢ System produces microparticulated whey proteins with fine, uniform particle sizes. These proteins mimic fat globules, creating a creamy, smooth mouthfeel in foods and beverages while supporting clean-label, reduced-fat and high-protein formulations. The system combines LeanCremeâ„¢ microparticulation with Cavitatorâ„¢ hydrodynamic cavitation in one integrated solution.

It produces highly functional microparticulated whey proteins with exceptionally narrow particle sizes (~1–1.5 µm), delivering ultra-smooth, creamy textures with outstanding stability.

In today’s food and beverage industry, processors need to create high-quality, functional ingredients while reducing fouling, downtime and energy use. The Cavimaster System meets this challenge by pairing indirect heat transfer with scale-free cavitational heating, offering a smart, flexible solution purpose-built for whey protein microparticulation.

Challenges:

• Reducing fouling that leads to frequent cleaning and short run times
• Achieving precise thermal control without degrading sensitive proteins
• Ensuring consistent particle size and texture in functional ingredients

Why Choose the APV Cavimaster System?

Backed by ³Ô¹ÏȺ’s decades of innovation in thermal and mixing technologies, the Cavimaster is purpose-built to handle the most delicate heating applications with precision and reliability. It delivers:

• Dual-zone heating: Plate heat exchanger for initial warming and Cavitator for final heating without damaging proteins.
• Scale-free cavitational heat transfer: Heat is generated by disc friction between the rotor and the liquid
• Controlled particle formation: Mechanical shear from bubble implosion manages protein microparticulation and particle size distribution
• Low-fouling operation: Heating occurs within the product itself, not via a heat transfer surface, extending run times
• Improved mouth feel: Creates microparticles similar in size to fat globules for creamy, reduced-fat formulations
• Flexible configuration: Available with twin-screw pumps and scraped surface heat exchangers to handle viscous products and fine-tune results
• Touchscreen control interface: Simplifies setup and ensures repeatable performance for consistent product outcomes.

Product Applications

The CaviMasterâ„¢ concept integrates mixing, microparticulation and heat treatment. Typical applications include:

• Nutritional beverages – improving texture and stability in high-protein drinks
• Dairy-based ingredients – producing functional whey proteins for yogurts, milk drinks, and dairy alternatives
• Reduced-fat and clean-label products – replacing fat and artificial stabilizers with naturally processed whey protein
• High-value functional ingredients – creating stable, uniform proteins that can be dried into powders for use in multiple applications

Theory of Operation

The Cavimaster process begins with indirect heating via a plate heat exchanger, bringing the product to a preheating zone (~50–65°C). It then passes through the Cavitator™, where high-speed impellers generate controlled steam cavitation.

The spinning action creates internal liquid friction (disk friction), which produces heat, while the engineered holes induce hydrodynamic cavitation.

• Cavitation generates high shear
• Internal friction provides direct heating within the product

This gentle yet effective method enables:

• Precise denaturation and aggregation of proteins such as WPI and WPC
• Tight control of particle size for improved texture and product stability
• Minimized fouling and extended run times
• Regenerative and final cooling for immediate downstream processing or drying

The result is a uniform, stable product with enhanced functional properties and clean-label appeal.