Blending ingredients and flavors are critical processes in the beverage industry. If the process is incomplete or even occasionally overly done, the end result will not be the quality expected, and the product can be wasted. The amount of processing also can vary based on the ingredients in the mix. Solubility also can vary for ingredients, impacting the potential need for automated mixing practices.
In addition, some long-chained organic compounds and powders can be difficult to mix. Long-chained organic compounds are very sensitive to mechanical mixing and must be carefully blended in order for them to hold up and accomplish their purposes in the final product. According to a scientific report by Silverson, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, long-chained molecules such as xanthan gum can be difficult to disperse in liquid and can give rise to problems such as: