Optimisation of spray drying process in microencapsulated cream powder production

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microencapsulation is crucial for preserving sensitive ingredients like cream.
• Spray drying is a common technique for producing powders from emulsions.
• Optimizing spray drying parameters is essential for achieving desired powder characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize spray drying conditions for microencapsulated cream powder production.
• To maximize drying yield and enhance powder properties: bulk density, wetting time, and surface fat content.

Main Methods:

• Oil-in-water emulsions prepared with maltodextrin (18 DE) and sodium caseinate.
• Response surface methodology (RSM) employed to optimize spray drying parameters.
• Key parameters investigated: inlet drying temperature (150-190°C), feed flow rate (9-30 ml/min), and aspiration rate (50-100%).

Main Results:

• Optimal spray drying conditions determined as 162.8°C (inlet temperature), 11.51 ml/min (feed flow rate), and 72.8% (aspiration rate).
• Achieved results at optimum conditions: 36.37% drying yield, 269.9 kg/m³ bulk density, 115.2 s wetting time, and 26.2% surface fat content.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully optimized spray drying parameters for microencapsulated cream powder.
• The identified conditions provide a balance between high drying yield and desirable powder attributes.