Food additive spray dryer

Definition of Food Additives

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

Introduction of food additive spray dryer

Spray drying is a frequently used process in the liquid process forming and drying industry. It is suitable for the production of powdered 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.

Working principle of food additive spray dryer

After filtering and heating, the air enters the air distributor at the top of the dryer, and the hot air enters the drying chamber uniformly in a spiral shape. The feed liquid passes through the high-speed centrifugal atomizer at the top of the tower body, and is sprayed (rotating) into extremely fine mist-like liquid droplets, which can be dried into finished products in a very short period of time in co-current contact with hot air. The finished product is continuously output from the bottom of the drying tower and the cyclone separator, and the exhaust gas is evacuated by the fan.

Food additive spray dryer performance characteristics

◎The drying speed is fast, and the surface area of the material liquid is greatly increased after atomization. In the hot air flow, 95%-98% of the water can be evaporated instantly, and the drying time is only a few seconds, especially for the drying of heat-sensitive materials. ◎The product has good uniformity, fluidity and solubility, high product purity and good quality. ◎The production process is simplified and the operation and control are convenient. For liquids with a moisture content of 40-60% (special materials can reach 90%), it can be dried into powder products at one time. After drying, there is no need to pulverize and screen, reducing production processes and improving product purity. The particle size, bulk density and water content of the product can be adjusted by changing the operating conditions within a certain range, and the control and management are very convenient.

Examples of common food additives that can be dried

Preservatives - commonly used are sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sulfur dioxide, lactic acid, etc. It is used in food processing such as jam and preserves. Antioxidants - Similar to preservatives, they extend the shelf life of foods. Commonly used are vitamin C, different-dimensional C and so on. Colorants - Commonly used synthetic pigments are carmine, amaranth, tartrazine, indigo, etc. It changes the appearance of food and makes it more appetite. Thickeners and stabilizers - can improve or stabilize the physical properties of cold food products, making the food appearance smooth and delicate. They keep frozen foods such as ice cream soft and loose for long periods of time. Raising agent - some candies and chocolates are added with a raising agent, which can cause the sugar body to produce carbon dioxide, thus playing a role in raising. Commonly used leavening agents include sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, compound leavening agents, etc. Sweeteners - commonly used synthetic sweeteners are sodium saccharin, sodium cyclamate, etc. The purpose is to increase the sweetness. Acidulants - Some beverages, candies, etc. often use acidulants to adjust and improve the flavor effect. Commonly used citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid and so on. Brighteners - Benzoyl peroxide is the main ingredient in flour whiteners. The upper limit of the allowable dosage of Chinese food in flour 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. Benzoyl peroxide has been banned as a food additive in developed countries such as the European Union. my country also banned benzoyl peroxide as a whitening agent in May 2011.