The Spray Drying of Food Flavors

TLDR

Spray drying is the most common technique for producing dry flavorings; it atomizes and dries flavor solutions rapidly, trapping volatile constituents and achieving satisfactory retention when operating parameters are optimized, while the shelf life of oxidizable flavors depends on the carrier. In spray drying, an aqueous mixture of water, carrier, and flavor is atomized into hot air, the resulting powder is collected with cyclone collectors, and flavor retention is maximized by using high solids and viscosity, optimal inlet temperatures (160–210 °C), high exit temperatures (>100 °C), and high‑molecular‑weight flavor molecules.

Abstract

Abstract Abstract Spray drying is the most commonly used technique for the production of dry flavorings. In spray drying, an aqueous infeed material (water, carrier, and flavor) is atomized into a stream of hot air. The atomized articles dry very rapidly, trapping volatile flavor constituents inside the droplets. The powder is recovered via cyclone collectors. Flavor retention is quite satisfactory if dryer operating parameters are properly chosen. Flavor retention is maximized by using a high infeed solids level, high viscosity infeed, optimum inlet (160–210°C) and high exit (>100°C) air temperatures, and high molecular weight flavor molecules. The shelf life of oxidizable flavor compounds is strongly influenced by the flavor carrier.