Characterization of lemon juice powders produced by different drying techniques and carrier materials

Abstract

Lemon juice was mixed with different carrier materials (maltodextrin, gum Arabic, carboxymethylcellulose) and dehydrated by nano spray drying, conventional spray drying and freeze-drying technique. The obtained powders were compared in terms of their morphology, moisture content, density, porosity, flow and reconstitution properties, and water sorption kinetics. Freeze-dried powders showed an irregular, compact morphology, while spray drying led to more uniformly sized fine spherical particles. Spray-dried powders with gum Arabic had low moisture, high density, but long wetting times and fair dispersibility linked to their smaller particle size and even surface. Fine particle characteristics of nano spray dried powders did not seem to favor their flow and dissolution properties while enhanced their moisture uptake. Conversely, carboxymethylcellulose-containing powders exhibited inferior characteristics likely due to their highly hygroscopic and aggregated structure.