Cavitational Heat Treatment Engineered for Sensitive Products and Functional Protein Performance

The APV Cavimaster™ 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 LeanCreme™ microparticulation with Cavitator™ 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 SPX FLOW’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 CaviMaster™ 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.