Spray-air contact in tall and short-type spray dryers affects important physicochemical properties of microencapsulated chia seed oil.

MARÍA GABRIELA BORDÓN; NAHUEL CAMACHO; PABLO DANIEL RIBOTTA; VICTORIA DEFAÍN TESORIERO; MARCELA LILIAN MARTÍNEZ; NOELIA ALASINO; MARÍA CECILIA PENCI

Lisboa

Conferencia; II International Conference la ValSe-Food Network; 2019

CHIA-LINK

The aim of this work was to determine the influence of the spray dryers´ aspect ratio (height/diameter) on the physico-chemical properties of microencapsulated chia oil (CSO). Two different dryers were analyzed: a tall-type dryer [H/D=5/1], and a short-type dryer [H/D=1.65/1]. The former corresponded to a co-current flow, while the latter showed a central air disperser in the chamber, and a rotary air flow. Emulsions were prepared by homogenization of CSO and a mixture of soy protein isolate (SPI) and gum arabic (GA). The co-current contact in the tall-type dryer yielded greater oxidative stability indexes (OSI) (3 times higher than CSO), which was possibly associated to less thermal degradation. Eddies around the air disperser in the short-type dryer created local areas of counter-current flow between spray and air. It can be concluded that a co-current contact constitutes a better alternative for the protection of heat-sensitive ingredients like CSO.