The IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries) has chosen the Smasher^® blender for the preparation of its samples

Margarita Garriga, the Unit Manager and Food Security Program Coordinator, in the Food Techology Centre in Girona (Spain).  

After having tested the Smasher^®, the main improvements she has highlighted are: "the absence of noise during its functioning, it is easy-to-clean and disinfect,  and the digital screen which allows to control better the required blending time for each treatment..."

Margarita Garriga recommends the use of the Smasher^® to "all quality, research laboratories, etc. which handle food samples. This easy-to-use equipment brings a very good blending and homogenization for several kinds of food samples."

The Smasher : a quiet operation & an excellent blending efficiency

"We analyze about 100 samples per week in our laboratory. We carry out classical microbiological controls: total flora, enterobacteriacae, coliforms and also listeria, salmonella, etc.

The element that has been decisive in the choice of Smasher is its exceptionally quiet running. We testes and compared with several others blenders. Its silent operation allows a comfortable working environment without the use of hearing protection.

Another major advantage is its blending efficiency. Using Smasher in fast mode for 30 seconds, we get a much better blending quality compared to our former blender, even after 1 minute of use."

Finally, its original design with its rounded shape makes cleaning really easy, both inside and outside."

Miss LEVAVASSEUR - AIM GROUP - Aintrain (France)

“Our microbiology laboratory has chosen the Smasher® blenders for their very low noise level, ensuring a comfortable use and avoiding us using earing protection.
Our choice criteria were also the automatically adjustable mixing speed, allowing good sample dispersion, and the easy cleaning and disinfection.
Then the ergonomic and innovating design of the Smasher® was the last argument which helped us to make our decision.”

Thierry Salvayre,
Control Laboratory Manager
Cargill Texturizing Solutions (50) - France

"I'm a big fan of the quality of Smasher's construction and durability. It's a quality product, easy to use and very user friendly. When we saw it we knew right away that it was perfect, we had to have it...We were also surprised by how quiet Smasher is."

A Smasher Fan Explains...

Josh Fonsworth, MS, is the Quality Control Manager for theAtlanta and Lakeland Bakery Plants for Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Publix manufactures numerous bakery products for its 1,000 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.

"My department is responsible for making and analyzing the dry mixes for the bakery products baked in the retail level. We operate 24 hours a day, testing over 1,000 samples per week. For example, we provide the dry mix of flour and other ingredients, so that when bread is baked at the Publix stores, our bakers only have to incorporate water in yeast. Everything else is pre-measured and pre-mixed," explains Josh.
 
"We make a lot of the mixes for a variety of products including raw cookies, Danish, turnovers, cakes, pies and muffins. A large part of what we do in the lab is analyze the mixes for salt, PH and sugar content (brix). It's critical that we get the ratios of these ingredients correct so that the products bake off right and taste good," adds Josh, who has been using Smasher since July 2007.

According to the QC Manager, "We use the Smasher for our dry mix flour bags to make sure the chemistry is right in our 1,000 pound bulk bins before the mix is bagged for use in the stores. When testing, we blend 1.5 ounces of flour and mix with salt, sugar, other ingredients and 300 ml of water. Smasher does an amazing job of coming up with a homogenized mix that we can run through our analyzers."
 
"Our old blender was not completely mixing the product and we were not getting a uniform sample. The first time we used Smasher, there was no clumping and the mix was much more complete and uniform," Josh points out.
 
"We also were surprised by how quiet the Smasher is. Our old blender was so loud, that our safety leader required us to use hearing protection whenever it was in use. Using the old blender up to four times an hour in a small lab space caused a decibel level that was almost an occupational hazard; no one liked it," recalls Josh.  "With Smasher being so quiet, it was a welcome break, now we don't have to use hearing protection in the lab. Smasher made our lab a much nicer environment."
 
"Smasher gives us more consistency from operator to operator. It's very easy and safe to clean after every use. We just take out the sample bag and throw it away. With the old blender we had to spend time washing it and having to be careful not to get cut on the blades, which would also dull over time," adds Josh. "We don't have to worry about blades with Smasher. Smasher eliminated three safety issues - noise, sharp blades and hot water for cleaning."
 
According to Josh, "Smasher has saved us money not having to replace blenders or blender parts. There is a cost for the sample bags, but it's worth it. Smasher saves us time in the lab not having to spend time cleaning the blender or sample dishes. It allows our lab folks to improve their efficiency. People got behind Smasher immediately because it improved their enjoyment level as well, not having to deal with the noise or cleaning of the old blender. Smasher sold itself."