Spray dried date fruit extract with a maltodextrin/gum arabic binary blend carrier agent system: Process optimization...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Bioactive compounds require protection from degradation to improve bioavailability and shelf life.
• Spray drying is a key encapsulation technique for food-based bioactives.
• Date fruit sugars present unique challenges for encapsulation due to their composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize spray drying parameters for encapsulating date fruit sugars.
• To evaluate the impact of polysaccharide carrier agents on sugar powder properties.
• To determine the optimal conditions for maximizing sugar powder yield and quality.

Main Methods:

• Box-Behnken design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were employed.
• Key spray drying parameters investigated: air inlet temperature, feed flow rate, and carrier agent concentration.
• Supercritical assisted aqueous extraction was used for date fruit sugar isolation.

Main Results:

• Optimized conditions (170°C, 3 mL/min, 44% carrier) yielded 38.62% sugar powder.
• The product exhibited low moisture (3.5%), controlled hygroscopicity (18.2%), and high solubility (91.3%).
• SEM and XRD analyses confirmed enhanced microstructural stability and suitability for storage.

Conclusions:

• A hybrid carrier system (maltodextrin and gum arabic) is effective for date sugar encapsulation.
• Optimized spray drying produces a stable date sugar powder with desirable characteristics.
• This process offers potential for commercial applications in the food industry.