Abstract
In the present study, the spray-dried honey powder enriched with aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn) and basil (Ocimum sanctum) extract was developed using drying aids—gum arabic (GA), maltodextrin (MD), and whey protein concentrate (WPC), and then characterized based on particle size distribution, colour, glass transition temperature (Tg), X-ray diffraction, and antioxidant and rheological properties. Results showed the highest Tg (86.13 °C) for WPC based honey powder, which, in turn, resulted in least stickiness as compared to GA and MD based honey powders with Tg 74.53 °C and 68.26 °C, respectively. The dried honey powder with all three carrier agents exhibited a metastable amorphous state as proved by the broader peaks of X-ray diffractograms due to the short drying time, whereas, a peak at 1637 cm−1, attributed to the carbonyl (C=O) stretching, established the ascorbic acid in the studied powder on account of aonla extract. The mean particle diameter significantly (p < 0.05) increased, following the order WPC (60.45 μm) > GA (41.24 μm) > MD (20.06 μm) as carrier agents, which were related to the higher feed viscosity. The colour parameter L* (30.74–45.78) and b* (5.82–11.64) values of the nutritionally rich honey powder were higher due to presence of polyphenols in aonla and basil extracts, which resulted in the formation of dark brown complexes. The antioxidant activity of WPC based fortified honey powder was highest (82.73%), followed by GA (78.15%) and MD (74.85%) based honey powders. A significant (p < 0.05) increase was found in powder recovery, solubility, and dispersibility using the drying aids in the following order: WPC < GA < MD. Furthermore, the storage modulus (G′) was higher than loss modulus (G″) in all honey powders, wherein the WPC containing powder demonstrated maximum value of G′, followed by GA and MD. Finally, the three honey powders were microbiologically stable.
Highlights
Honey is a natural sweet product having unique flavour; it is considered as a functional food because of its uncountable medical, nutritive, and antioxidative properties [1], but due to its high viscosity, crystallization, and stickiness in its natural form, it causes difficulties in mass utilization, which can be overcome by conversion of honey into powdered form [2,3].the application of drying in sugar-rich foods, such as honey, is, in general, difficult, due to the presence of low-molecular weight sugars, namely glucose, fructose, and sucrose in the feed mixtures [4]
The fortified powder with whey protein concentrate (WPC) was expected to possess the highest porosity in comparison to the other carrier agents, since it forms a powder with a greater particle size due to the protein content, as shown by other authors [33]
The key peak transmittance bands of fructose were 1095 cm−1 and 1051 cm−1, which are usually associated with C-O bending and C-OH stretching of honey powder fortified with maltodextrin and gum arabic, respectively
Summary
Honey is a natural sweet product having unique flavour; it is considered as a functional food because of its uncountable medical, nutritive, and antioxidative properties [1], but due to its high viscosity, crystallization, and stickiness in its natural form, it causes difficulties in mass utilization, which can be overcome by conversion of honey into powdered form [2,3]. Honey powder showed lower values of glass transition temperatures (Tg) due to simple sugars of low-molecular weight, like fructose (Tg 5 ◦ C), and glucose (Tg 31 ◦ C) and, causes time-based structural changes, such as higher hygroscopicity, thermoplasticity, and crystallization. These structural changes may result in significant economic losses and operational issues during spray-drying [8]. The fortified powder was characterized on the basis of Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), X-ray diffraction, FTIR, particle size, and colour analyses
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