engleski

Assesment of the applicability of the foam mat drying process for production of lavander extract enriched instant cocoa powder

The foam mat drying process is a simple and economical alternative to spray drying and freeze drying and is considerably cheaper due to rapid drying at lower temperature, retention of nutritional quality and easy reconstitution. Basic principle of process is conversion of a liquid or a semi-liquid foodstuff to foam and thin layer dying of this foam. This study explores the possibility of the foam mat drying process for production of instant cocoa powder enriched with lavender (Lavandula x hybrida L.) extracts. Firstly, the aqueous extraction process of lavender was optimized using Taguchi orthogonal array design. The extract obtained at optimal conditions were then added to a mixture of egg white, cocoa powder, sugar and gelatine and blended for 4 minutes to obtain a stable foam which was then dried in a convective air dryer at three different temperatures (50, 60, 70 °C) and then milled into a powdered product. Drying rates were obtained from the experimental data using nonlinear model estimation. Flow properties, bulk density, particle size distribution, reconstitution and sensory properties of the final product were also assessed. Based on the obtained data, the drying process is best described using the Page drying model. Samples dried at lower temperature (50 °C) exhibited the best powder flow and reconstitution properties. Sensory analysis resulted in similar findings: powders dried at lower temperatures had better appearance, colour and taste. Obtained data confirm the suitability of the foam mat drying process for production of lavender extract enriched cocoa powder.

Foam mat drying ; instant cocoa ; lavender

nije evidentirano