Beyond the Mixer: Filling, Capping and CIP for a Complete Mayonnaise Line
Emulsification is half the line. After the mixer, product still has to move through a buffer tank, a filler sized for viscous product, capping, labelling and coding, with a CIP system cleaning the whole path between runs. The parts that make or break a line are not the individual machines but the integration.
Key Takeaways
- A mayonnaise line runs mixer, buffer tank, filler, capper, labeller, coder and case packer in one sequence, with CIP looping around the wetted path.
- Mayonnaise needs a positive-displacement filler (piston or servo); gravity and overflow fillers cannot handle the viscosity.
- Most fill and hygiene failures are integration problems between machines, not faults in any single machine.
Table of Contents
Most buyers focus on the emulsifier and treat filling as an afterthought, then discover the filler cannot handle their product’s viscosity, or that air pulled in during transfer ruins the fill accuracy the mixer’s deaeration was supposed to guarantee. This guide covers what sits after the Procer Mixpro and how the pieces fit into one working line.
The Complete Mayonnaise Line Sequence
A production line is a chain, and mayonnaise is an unforgiving product to move through it: thick, shear-sensitive and prone to picking up air.
Line sequence: vacuum emulsifier (Procer Mixpro) → buffer/holding tank → filler → capper/sealer → labeller → date coder → case packing. CIP loops around the wetted path.
Each transfer point is a risk: pumps that shear the product, drops that entrain air, and dead legs that harbour bacteria. A line designed as one system, rather than assembled from separately bought boxes, controls those risks. This is the argument behind choosing an integrated process partner over self-assembling equipment.
Choosing a Filler for Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise’s viscosity is the deciding factor. A filler built for thin liquids will struggle; you need positive-displacement filling.
| Filler type | How it works | Fit for mayonnaise |
|---|---|---|
| Piston filler | Positive displacement, volumetric | Strong, handles high viscosity and accurate fills |
| Servo/rotary piston | Programmable piston, high speed | Best for high-volume lines; precise, gentle |
| Gravity / overflow | Relies on flow | Poor, too viscous for mayonnaise |
| Pump (lobe/progressive cavity) transfer | Gentle product movement | Good for transfer, not final fill accuracy |
Two things matter beyond the fill principle: fill accuracy (giveaway on every jar adds up across a production run) and gentleness (a filler that shears or aerates the product undoes the emulsion quality upstream). Match the filler to your container (jar, bottle, pouch, sachet) and viscosity; see the capacity sizing guide to align filler speed with mixer output.
How a Mayonnaise Line Is Cleaned (CIP)
CIP is not optional for an emulsion line. Fat and protein residues are exactly what spoilage organisms feed on, and manual cleaning of a full line is slow and unreliable. A properly designed CIP cycle, pre-rinse, caustic wash, intermediate rinse, acid wash, final rinse, cleans the entire wetted path on a repeatable schedule. Hygienic design (EHEDG principles, 316L food-contact steel, fully drainable) is what makes CIP effective. Our CIP and SIP systems guide covers the same cleaning principles in more depth.
Integration Pitfalls That Ruin Good Product
The failures that show up on a badly integrated line are rarely faults in any single machine.
Air Reintroduction After Deaeration
The mixer pulls air out under vacuum; a poorly designed transfer or filler whips it back in, causing foam, dull colour and inaccurate fills. See why vacuum and air-free mixing matters.
Viscosity or Temperature Drift at Transfer
Product that cools or is sheared during transfer changes viscosity, throwing off the filler.
Shear-Sensitive Pumping
The wrong pump degrades the emulsion between mixer and filler.
These are integration problems, not machine problems, which is why the line should be specified as a whole.
Integrated Line vs Separately Sourced Filler
You can buy a mixer from one supplier and a filler from another; many producers do. The hidden cost is integration risk: when fill accuracy is off or air appears in the jar, each supplier points at the other. An integrated line from a single process partner puts responsibility for the whole result, emulsion quality through to the filled jar, in one place. Procer specifies the process end (emulsifier, DRI homogeniser, CIP) and the fill compatibility together, so the product that leaves the mixer is the product that reaches the jar.
Scope Your Complete Line
Procer designs complete mayonnaise lines, emulsification, homogenising, CIP and fill integration, as one system, so responsibility for the finished jar sits in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scope Your Mayonnaise Line
Get the mixer, filler and CIP specified together as one working system.