Impact of Maltodextrin, Gum Arabic, Different Fibres and Starches on the Properties of Freeze-Dried Orange Puree Powder

Abstract

Fruits are essential components of a healthy diet contributing to the prevention of different diseases. Nevertheless, their consumption is limited among the population for reasons of convenience, among others. High-quality products are obtained by freeze-drying; however, dehydrated fruit presents a physical stability problem associated with the glass transition of its amorphous matrix. A common technique to prevent the rubbery state is the incorporation of biopolymers that contribute to increasing the glass transition temperature or that may exert a steric role. Nevertheless, the chemical composition and physical properties of these biopolymers may affect the quality of the dehydrated product which could compromise its use for specific applications. This work studies the impact of gum Arabic, bamboo fibre, maltodextrin, pea fibre, starch substituted with octenyl succinic groups and native corn starch added to an orange puree, on powder flowability and rehydration behaviour of the freeze-dried fruit powder. As regards the flowability, according to the angle of repose values (37–42°), all powder formulations were considered in the range of ‘acceptable’ powders. However, both samples containing maltodextrin showed significantly the lowest angle of repose value (37–38°), and therefore a better flowability. Samples containing gum Arabic, bamboo fibre and maltodextrin showed the lower wetting time (175–570 s), which is desired for rehydration, compared to those formulated with OSA (914–1887 s). Moreover, sample with gum Arabic showed the lowest viscosity after rehydration (0.199 Pas), desired to be consumed as a juice. According to the obtained results, if to get an orange puree powder with a good flowability is desired, the use of maltodextrin may be recommended. However, if rehydration is preferred, the use of gum Arabic is more recommended.