The carrier effect

Do you treat your body with some extra vitamins by taking a pill every morning? Well, some decades back in time, vitamin E was difficult to use in pills because it’s a liquid. But today we know a trick that turns liquid substances into a dry powder. We pack the liquid into a so-called “carrier” that transports it into our pills, our food, our feed, or our cosmetics.

The compound responsible for that carrier effect is silica: particles made of silicon dioxide (SiO₂). Silica carriers are like a public bus: They offer a lot of space for a lot of different passengers. Those passengers can be organic acids, fragrances, flavors, antioxidants, surfactants, and many more. The carrier bus transports liquid detergents into dry dishwasher tabs, liquid oils into dry feed pellets, or liquid lipids into your dry cosmetic powder.

The secret of carriers lies in the geometry of the particles: They are very porous so that liquids are drawn in via capillary forces. The carrying capacity of such a modern silica bus is impressive: more than half of its own weight! And while the inside of the carrier is filled with liquid the outside of the particle remains as dry as a desert. The result is "dry liquid".

You see, our carrier opens doors for new types of products. Additionally, silica can improve the handling properties of products significantly. For example, it extends the shelf life of products. If storage stability is your topic, please read our article about the anticaking effect here.

Imagine you owned a cookie manufacturing company. Imagine you had to process maple syrup with flour and imagine the mess it would cause in your mixers or on your conveyer belts. With the carrier effect, you wouldn’t have to worry about your machines.

Carriers made of precipitated silica have a special geometry. Their highly porous structure, with an interconnected network, allows both polar and non-polar liquids to be drawn in via capillary forces. Even maple syrup. The carrier with your honey inside stays dry on the outside so you can simply add it to your flour creating a powder mixture that is easy to process, easy to store, and precise to pour.

The stored liquid is released again when it is displaced by another liquid. For example, by water during cooking or by saliva during chewing.

Our “trucks” for carrying liquids are specialized in moving heavy loads: They transport up to 60% of their own weight in liquids, pastes, oils, or waxes. You can find them under the brand names SIPERNAT® and ZEOFREE®.

But our heavy-duty carriers can do so much more for your production than just carrying:

• Our silica enables stable products – like pellets or powders – with an astonishingly high liquid or fatty content.
• Our silica protects temperature-sensitive components – like vitamins or probiotics – during hot stages in the production process.
• Our silica protects oxidation-sensitive components – like essential fatty acids – during storage.
• Our silica improves accuracy when it comes to the addition or ease of ingredients in small quantities.
• Our silica is tasteless and enables a high bioavailability of the carried ingredient.
• Our silica keeps your host powder free-flowing and protects it from caking.

You see, there’s a truckload of advantages that can be added to your products quite simply: Just mix it with your host powder in the running production process. To avoid damage to the porous structure, you should always ensure gentle mixing. Usually, no special equipment is needed – your belt, paddle, or plowshare mixer should be perfectly adequate. Or your spray nozzle drier. Our application engineers will be happy to assist you in finding the most efficient way to bring your products and our products together.

The storage of our carriers is even easier than the application: They come, for example, in 10-kilogram bags so that you always have them on hand when you need it. 

Silica has great effects on the properties of your products – but it has nearly no effect on people: Silica is safe. That’s why it is even approved for use in food, feed, and pharmaceuticals. For example, the European Food Safety Authority regularly confirms the safety of silica as a food additive. Additionally, our silica agents received an OMRI Listed® Certification, which means, that they are proven suitable for organic farming. If you want to dive deeper, you can find more information on the safety of silica on our FAQs page.

And what about mother nature? Here are two positive side effects of silica: Firstly, with the use of our silica carrier, the anticaking effect comes automatically. It assures that your products can be stored longer. So, less products have to be disposed due to decay. Secondly, silica-covered host powder is less sticky to your production equipment. That saves both maintenance costs and water for cleaning.

Simply write a message to ask-se@evonik.com or press the contact button above. Your request will be forwarded to one of our carrier specialists and they will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Our clients, of course, will get assistance from their regional contact and from our application engineers. We are looking forward to hearing from you!