Sauce filling
Review particles, temperature and pack presentation.
Read the guide →Product uniformity
How do you fill paste products that settle or separate?
Fill products that settle or separate by defining how composition changes with time, temperature and handling, then controlling batch preparation, hopper residence, agitation or recirculation and production pauses. The trial must compare the start, middle and end of the batch.
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Control sequence
Define the product condition the filler must preserve.
Settling and separation can change both dose and composition. The machine should not be expected to correct an undefined upstream product condition.
- Characterise the batch. Record preparation, temperature, particle or phase distribution and time to visible change.
- Define the permitted condition. Agree what uniformity must be maintained at the filler.
- Select the least disruptive control. Compare batch handling, gentle agitation, recirculation or shorter residence.
- Test pauses and restart. Include the longest expected normal stop.
- Sample through the batch. Compare start, middle and end packs using an approved quality method.
Buyer question
Why do some products settle in the hopper?
Particles or phases can move under gravity when their density differs from the surrounding product and the structure cannot hold them uniformly. Temperature, particle size, concentration, standing time and previous mixing all affect the rate.
A product may look uniform immediately after mixing but separate during the fill run. Record the time between preparation and filling and the expected hopper residence.
Buyer question
When is agitation appropriate?
Agitation is appropriate when a controlled, product-approved motion maintains uniformity without damaging particles, changing texture or introducing air. The speed, impeller, position and run pattern should be defined from trials.
Continuous mixing is not automatically necessary. Intermittent or upstream batch control may preserve the product with less aeration or shear.
Buyer question
Can agitation make filling worse?
Yes. Excessive or unsuitable agitation can entrain air, break inclusions, warm the product, change structure or create a vortex that starves the outlet. It can also keep a product moving after a downstream stop when it should be protected.
Compare product before and after the longest expected agitation period, not only at start-up.
Buyer question
What should happen during production pauses?
Define whether agitation or recirculation continues, slows or stops, how long product may remain in the hopper and what checks are required before restart. The first packs after a pause should be sampled separately because settling, cooling or air release may have changed the condition.
Include both a short routine stop and the longest credible normal pause in acceptance testing.
Buyer question
How is consistency checked through the batch?
Take identified samples from the start, middle and end of the run and after a pause. Measure fill quantity and the product attribute that matters, such as particle distribution, density, solids content, texture or another approved quality measure.
Keep machine settings, hopper level, temperature and sample time with the results. A stable fill weight does not prove that each pack has the same composition.
Related questions and guides
Continue the specification with the next practical decision.
Use the related pages to connect this answer to product trials, machine selection and a quotation-ready application.
Mixing hopper options
Assess when controlled agitation is justified.
Read the guide →Product trials
Plan samples and acceptance evidence.
Read the guide →Need to fill a product that changes while standing?
Send the mixing method, normal temperature, time to settle or separate, largest particles, batch size and the quality check used to confirm uniformity.