PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SPRAY-DRYING OF SUGAR-RICH FOODS

Stickiness is a major reason that limits the spray drying of various s ugar-rich food products. Higher hygroscopicity of amorphous powder, in crease in solubility of sugars with temperature, and lower melting poi nt and glass transition temperature, contribute to the stickiness prob lem. So far, the glass transition temperature has been widely accepted as a best indicator for stickiness. There are various manoeuvres that have been applied to spray dry such products. Some of them are the ad dition of drying aids, modification of drier design and use of mild dr ying temperature conditions. This review paper highlights the major re search works that deal with the stickiness property of sugar-rich food s.