Nano spray drying of food ingredients; materials, processing and applications

Abstract

BackgroundNowadays, there is a growing trend in the consumption of bioactive food ingredients and their use in the production of functional foods. Since these bioactive components are very sensitive to process and environmental conditions, and also to deliver them appropriately into our body, encapsulation technology has been emerged as a promising solution to achieve these goals. Spray drying is one of the most common and popular techniques for the encapsulation and drying of food ingredients. Scope and approachWith the emergence of nanotechnology and its many benefits, scientists have focused on the development of nano-based materials and techniques in the food industry. Bioactive ingredients loaded in nanoparticles and nanocarriers could be applied as helpful nano delivery systems for the production of functional foods and nutraceutical delivery systems. The problem with conventional spray drying is the limited possibility of obtaining powder nanoparticles as the cyclone separating units can not result in collecting those very small particles. Nano spray dryer has been designed successfully to address this issue. This article will focus on the fundamentals of a nano spray drying system and its applications in the food industry. Key findings and conclusionsThe scientific findings so far confirm that the nano spray dryer technology has been well-practiced in the drying and encapsulation of different food ingredients such as vitamins and minerals, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and essential oils and fatty acids, although it is still at the beginning. It is possible to produce powder nanoparticles with a uniform size distribution through the ultrasonic atomizer in this system and electrostatic separation unit. A very small volume of sample is needed for this instrument which is a big advantage for expensive raw ingredients. The main challenge is that there is no possibility to conduct pilot or industrial scale experiments with this nano spray dryer system for the commercialization of the relevant products that could be available in the coming years.