To granulate is to form a material into small, free-flowing particles or granules — by crystallisation, as when sugar syrups cool into crystals, or by agglomeration, as when fine powders are bound into larger grains. In food manufacturing, granulation is a core unit operation: instant coffee, bouillon, sweeteners, and pharmaceutical-style nutritional powders are all granulated for the properties granules give — they flow without caking, dose accurately, dissolve quickly, and resist dust. Wet granulation binds powders with a liquid binder before drying; dry granulation compacts them under pressure. The verb also describes what cooks do when rubbing butter into flour — but industrially, controlled granule size is a precise quality parameter.