Food Additives Spray Dryer

Definition of Food Additives

Food additives are non-nutritive substances that are consciously added to food, generally in small amounts, to improve the appearance, flavor and organization or storage properties of food. According to this definition, food fortification for the purpose of enhancing the nutritional content of food should not be included in the scope of food additives.

Food Additives Spray Dryer Introduction

Spray drying is a frequently used process in the liquid process forming and drying industry. It is suitable for generating powdery and granular solid products from solutions, emulsions, suspensions and pasty liquid raw materials. Therefore, spray drying is an ideal process when the particle size distribution, residual moisture content, bulk density and particle shape of the finished product meet the standards.

Food additives spray dryer working principle

The air is filtered and heated, and enters into the air distributor on the top of the dryer, and the hot air enters into the drying chamber evenly in spiral shape. The material liquid is sprayed into very fine mist beads by the high-speed centrifugal atomizer at the top of the tower (rotating), and can be dried into finished products in a very short time by contacting with the hot air in parallel flow. The finished product is continuously output from the bottom of the drying tower and the cyclone separator, and the exhaust gas is exhausted by the fan.

Food additives spray dryer performance characteristics

The drying speed is fast, the surface area of the material is greatly increased after atomization, and 95%-98% of the water can be evaporated instantly in the hot air stream, and the drying time takes only a few seconds, especially suitable for drying heat-sensitive materials.

The product has good uniformity, fluidity and solubility, high purity and good quality.

The production process is simplified and the operation control is convenient. For the moisture content of 40-60% (special materials can be up to 90%) of the liquid can be dried into powder products, drying without crushing and screening, reducing the production process, improve product purity. The product particle size, bulk density, moisture, within a certain range can be adjusted by changing the operating conditions, control and management are very convenient.

Examples of common food additive materials that can be dried

Preservatives - commonly used are sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sulfur dioxide, lactic acid and so on. Used in food processing of jam, candied fruit, etc.

Antioxidants - similar to preservatives, can extend the shelf life of food. Commonly used are Vitamin C, isovitamin C, etc.

Colorants - Commonly used synthetic pigments are carmine, amaranthine, lemon yellow, indigo, etc. It can change the appearance of food and make it more appetizing.

Thickeners and stabilizers - can improve or stabilize the physical properties of cold foods, making them lubricious and delicate in appearance. They make ice cream and other frozen foods maintain soft and loose organization for a long time.

Bulking agents - some candies and chocolates are added with bulking agents, which can induce the sugar body to produce carbon dioxide, thus playing the role of bulking. Commonly used bulking agents are sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, compound bulking agent.

Sweeteners - commonly used synthetic sweeteners such as sodium saccharin, sweetener, etc.. The purpose is to increase the sense of sweetness.

Acidulant - part of the beverage, candy, etc. often use acidulants to regulate and improve the flavor effect. Commonly used citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid and so on.

Brightening agent - benzoyl peroxide is the main component of flour whitening agent. The maximum amount of additives allowed in flour in China is 0.06g/kg. excessive whitening agent will destroy the nutrition of flour, and the benzoic acid produced after hydrolysis will cause damage to the liver, and benzoyl peroxide has been banned as a food additive in developed countries such as the European Union. In May 2011, China also banned benzoyl peroxide as a whitening agent.