Spray drying of pomegranate juice using maltodextrin/cyclodextrin blends as the wall material

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Material Science

Background:

• Microencapsulation is crucial for protecting nutrients, masking flavors, and improving delivery of food components.
• Pomegranate juice contains valuable nutrients and bioactive compounds susceptible to degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of maltodextrin and gamma-cyclodextrin ratios on the physical properties of spray-dried pomegranate juice.
• To determine the effect of spray drying inlet temperatures on the quality attributes of the microencapsulated pomegranate juice powder.

Main Methods:

• Spray drying of pomegranate juice using varying ratios of maltodextrin and gamma-cyclodextrin (20:0, 19:1, 17:3% w/w).
• Inlet temperatures of 120, 140, and 160°C were employed during spray drying.
• Evaluation of physical properties including water activity, water content, color, pH, soluble solids (Brix), and methyl cellulose precipitable tannin assay (MCPTA).
• Principle component analysis was used to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• Formulation significantly influenced color parameters and pH, accounting for 46.8% of data variation.
• Inlet temperature affected Chroma and water-holding capacity, explaining 31.8% of variation.
• Blending gamma-cyclodextrins with maltodextrins improved water-holding capacity, increased pH, and enhanced color preservation.
• Higher inlet temperatures negatively impacted color, reduced water-holding capacity, and decreased astringency.

Conclusions:

• Small additions of gamma-cyclodextrin significantly affect the physical properties of spray-dried powders.
• Optimizing the ratio of maltodextrin to gamma-cyclodextrin and spray drying temperature is key for producing high-quality pomegranate juice powder.
• Microencapsulation with cyclodextrins offers a promising method for preserving the quality of sensitive fruit juice components.