The client is a well-known producer of natural herbal plants and health food ingredients based in South Africa. As the “national treasure” tea of South Africa, Rooibos Tea is rich in antioxidants and naturally caffeine-free, enjoying huge demand in the international health food and meal replacement markets.
To expand into high-end instant tea drinks, cosmetic additives, and functional food markets, the client needed to process traditional coarse Rooibos tea leaves into ultra-fine powder. This would not only improve its water solubility but also significantly enhance the bioavailability of its active ingredients (such as rutin and quercetin). Therefore, mastering Rooibos polverizzazione ultrafine became the core competitive edge for this project.
Client’s Core Demands & Challenges
- Ultra-fine Dimensione delle particelle: The finished product was required to reach a D50 of around 8μm to ensure a delicate mouthfeel and excellent solubility.
- Protection of Active Ingredients: The antioxidant components in Rooibos are highly temperature-sensitive. The high temperatures generated by traditional mechanical milling could easily lead to material deterioration, discoloration, or loss of aroma.
- High Capacity Requirement: Industrial mass production required a stable output of 40-60kg/h.
- Caratteristiche del materiale: Rooibos is a fibrous herbal plant with high toughness. Conventional grinding equipment struggles to crush it uniformly to the micron level, making specialized Rooibos ultra-fine pulverization technology essential.
Epic Powder Solution
To address the client’s specific requirements, Epic Powder customized an Mulino a getto d'aria ultra-fine pulverization system.
1. Core Equipment & Process Parameters
- Modello dell'attrezzatura: Polvere epica Air Jet Mill System (integrated with a high-efficiency classifier)
- Pulverization Principle: It utilizes high-speed compressed air (at sonic or even supersonic speeds) to drive material particles to collide, rub, and shear fiercely with each other inside the grinding chamber to achieve ultra-fine pulverization.
2. Actual Project Results
After on-site installation, commissioning, and continuous operation testing, all equipment indicators exceeded the client’s expectations:
| Indicator Item | Client’s Requirement | Epic Powder Actual Result |
| Finished Particle Size (D50) | ≈ 8μm | 7.72μm |
| Capacità produttiva | 40-60kg/h | 50 kg/h (Stable output) |
| Material Temp. After Grinding | Strict control to prevent oxidation | Normal / Low-temperature operation (due to airflow expansion and heat absorption) |
Solution Highlights & Customer Value
True “Cold Grinding” to Perfectly Retain Flavor: The adiabatic expansion of the airflow at the nozzles creates a cooling effect that offsets the heat generated during the grinding process. The ultra-fine Rooibos powder retains its original reddish-brown color and rich herbal aroma, with zero destruction of active antioxidant components.
Narrow Particle Size Distribution with No Large Particles: Cooperating with the system’s built-in high-precision turbine classifier, the entrainment of coarse particles is strictly controlled. Reaching a D50 of 7.72μm, the powder feels as smooth as silk and dissolves perfectly in both hot and cold water.
Zero Mechanical Pollution & High Purity: The air jet mill relies primarily on self-collision among the materials, resulting in minimal wear. The equipment lining can be protected with ceramics or hard alloys based on requirements, ensuring the final Rooibos powder meets strict food and pharmaceutical hygiene standards.
Feedback dei clienti
The South African client spoke very highly of this cooperation:
“Epic Powder’s air jet mill has completely solved our pain points regarding plant fibers that are difficult to crush and prone to high-temperature deterioration. The fineness of 7.72μm has elevated the competitiveness of our Rooibos powder in the high-end meal replacement and beauty markets to a whole new level. Not only is the equipment performance excellent, but their engineers have also been incredibly professional and efficient in providing cross-border technical support!”