Formulation of Protective Agents for Improvement of Lactobacillus salivarius I 24 Survival Rate Subjected to Freeze Drying for Production of Live Cells in Powderized Form

The effectiveness of formulations using different protective agents to maintain viability of Lactobacillus salivarius I 24 during freeze drying for production of live cell in powdered form was investigated. The influence of prefreezing and cultivation conditions on viability of cells after freeze drying was also studied. Surface methodology was used to determine the most suitable combination of the protective agents. Concentrations of skim milk, sucrose, glycerol, and calcium carbonate were selected as operating variables, and survivals of cultures after freeze drying were used as results. Skim milk and sucrose were better protective agents than glycerol and calcium carbonate when used individually for preserving L. salivarius I 24 during freeze drying. Their protective abilities could be enhanced significantly when using them as a mixture (9.85% w/v skim milk and 10.65% w/v sucrose). Prefreezing of the cells at −80°C for 5 h prior to freeze drying and cultivation with regulated pH and temperature gave the highest cell viability.     

Effects of conventional and nonconventional drying on the stability of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis INL1

Freeze, spray, vacuum, microwave vacuum‐ and microwave freeze‐drying were applied to Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis INL1. Freeze and microwave freeze‐drying showed the highest survival after drying. When a storage test (25 °C; oxygen) was performed, these cultures were the most sensitive ones at a_w = 0.23, but the addition of lactose improved their stability after 8 weeks. Flow cytometry was useful to assess viability after drying but not during storage. Our results show that dehydration technologies other than freeze‐drying might be suitable alternatives that deserve further investigation for the preservation of sensitive probiotic bacteria. Microwave drying rendered cultures of comparable characteristics to their conventional counterparts, requiring significantly shorter drying times.     

Effect of freeze drying and protectants on viability of the biocontrol yeast Candida sake

The effects of freezing method, freeze drying process, and the use of protective agents on the viability of the biocontrol yeast Candida sake were studied. Freezing at -20 degrees C was the best method to preserve the viability of C. sake cells after freeze drying using 10% skim milk as a protectant (28.9% survival). Liquid nitrogen freezing caused the highest level of damage to the cells with viability < 10%. Different concentrations of exogenous substances including sugars, polyols, polymers and nitrogen compounds were tested either alone or in combination with skim milk. There was little or no effect when additives were used at 1% concentration. Galactose, raffinose and sodium glutamate at 10% were the best protective agents tested alone but the viability of freeze-dried C. sake cells was always < 20%. Survival of yeast cells was increased from 0.2% to 30-40% by using appropriate protective media containing combinations of skim milk and other protectants such as 5% or 10% lactose or glucose, and 10% fructose or sucrose.     

PTR-TOF-MS Analysis for Influence of Milk Base Supplementation on Texture and Headspace Concentration of Endogenous Volatile Compounds in Yogurt

In the present study, the effects of milk fat (0.3% and 3.5% w/w), solids non-fat (8.4% and 13% w/w), and modified tapioca starch (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% w/w) concentrations on the textural and physicochemical properties as well as the concentration of several endogenous flavor compounds in the headspace of set and stirred yogurts were investigated. The novel proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique was implemented for the non-invasive determination of the amounts of volatile organic compounds in the samples headspace. Milk fat and skim milk powder supplementation of the milk samples increased significantly the firmness and adhesiveness of yogurts (p < 0.001) and improved the stability of the formed gels by increasing their water holding capacity and reducing the amounts of expulsed whey (3.94 and 5.1 g for the milk fat and SNF-fortified samples). Acetaldehyde was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the low fat-unfortified systems (6.15 ± 0.48 and 5.6 ± 0.60 ppmv, respectively). A similar trend was also reported in the case of 2-propanone (0.91 ± 0.11 and 1.13 ± 0.07 ppmv), diacetyl (334 ± 37 and 350 ± 34 ppbv), 2,3-pentanedione (54 ± 6 and 55 ± 6 ppbv), and 2-butanone (56 ± 7 and 68 ± 5 ppbv) for the same systems. In contrast, the concentration of flavor compounds in the headspace with hydroxyl groups (ethanol and acetoin) increased (p < 0.001) by solid non-fat fortification of milk base (350 ± 32 and 206 ± 7 ppbv, respectively, for the systems fortified with skim milk powder). Modified tapioca starch addition improved the textural properties and gel stability of yogurts whereas affected only the ethanol concentration (222 ± 16 and 322 ± 55 for the control and 2.0% w/w containing systems, respectively). Our data suggested that the reinforcement of textural and structural properties combined with the protein binding affinity of the flavor compounds seemed to be responsible for the aforementioned observations. In the case of stirred yogurts, the gel breakdown did not provoke significant changes in the headspace concentration of the most compounds, with the exception of ethanol, acetoin, and 2,3-pentanedione being significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the stirred yogurts (267 ± 29, 153 ± 11, and 38 ± 1 ppbv, respectively) than set style ones (232 ± 19, 134 ± 9, and 45 ± 3 ppbv, respectively).     

Effect on cell membrane structural integrity of xylitol‐coated probiotics when stabilised with milk solids – A FTIR study

Vacuum drying of sorbitol or xylitol‐coated Lactobacillus reuteri LR6 cells and fluidised bed drying with different excipients were compared for the cell viability post‐drying. L. reuteri cells coated with xylitol and desiccated in unsupported form or together with skim milk powder as an excipient were found to be better protected at high drying temperatures. Examination of the protein and polypeptide components of the cell envelopes via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed different degrees of structural deformation in individual samples, indicating milk solids as supporting excipient and fluidised bed drying helps in retaining high cell viability.     

Fluidized-bed drying as a feasible method for dehydration of Enterococcus faecium M74

The suitability of fluidized-bed technology for the dehydration of probiotic Enterococcus faecium M74 was evaluated. Fluidized-bed drying was processed by layering the microorganisms on spherical pellets. The impact on cell viability of atomizing air pressure, processing temperature and time was investigated. Using 1.5 bar atomizing air pressure, 37 °C processing temperature, and 15 min processing time provided optimal dehydration condition. Changing these values resulted in excessive stress on the cells and affected the cell viability. Next, we compared the impact on cell viability of fluidized-bed drying with that of freeze-drying. Fluidized-bed drying caused more substantial losses of cell viability. However, viability of cells pre-treated with membrane protective agents such as sucrose or skim milk was less affected by fluidized-bed drying than by freeze-drying, resulted in a minor degree of membrane damage after 2 months storage. Comparison of the flow characteristics of freeze-dried cells and fluidized-bed dried cells layered on spherical pellets showed the superior flowability of the latter.     

Optimisation of bambara groundnut water extract and skim milk composition as cryoprotectant for increasing cell viability of Lactobacillus spp. using response surface methodology

Four legume water extracts, that is bambara groundnut, soya bean, red kidney bean and black bean as well as skim milk, were examined for their effectiveness in protecting Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus fermentum SK5 during the freeze‐drying and storage. Bambara groundnut water extract (BGWE) showed promising cryoprotective activity that was comparable to skim milk. BGWE and skim milk at 2–10% w/v and 5–20% w/v individually produced survival rates for both strains of 87–88%. To further optimise the synergistic cryoprotective medium, response surface methodology was employed. The optimal combination was 4.93% w/v BGWE and 11.68% w/v skim milk for L. rhamnosus GG and 5.17% w/v BGWE and 11.36% w/v skim milk for L. fermentum SK5 with survival rates of 95.17% and 94.36%, respectively. The storage life of freeze‐dried cells of both probiotics at 4 °C and 30 °C for 6 months was markedly improved when they were produced with these optimal combinations.     

Effect of cryoprotective agents on survival and stability of Lactobacillus acidophilus cultured in food‐grade medium

The effect of cryoprotectants on survival and stability of freeze‐dried Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC‐4962 cultivated in food‐grade medium was evaluated. The food‐grade medium employed was more economical than the commercial de Man Rogosa and Sharpe medium and gave a higher yield of L. acidophilus ATCC‐4962. Cryoprotective agents improved significantly the cell viability. Skim milk, skim milk with malt extract and monosodium glutamate provided significantly higher viable counts, at optimum concentration of 0.3%. At higher concentration, there was a reduction in cell viability, attributed to cell shrinkage associated with osmotic pressure changes inside the cells. Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC‐4962 was stable at 28°C until 8 weeks.     

Effect of Air Temperature on Drying Kinetics,Vitamin C,Antioxidant Activity,Total Phenolic Content,Non-enzymatic Browning and Firmness of Blueberries Variety O´Neil

Effect of air temperature on drying kinetics, vitamin C, antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content (TPC), colour due to non-enzymatic browning (NEB) and firmness during drying of blueberries was studied. Drying curves were satisfactorily simulated with the Weibull model at 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90°C. The scale parameter (β) decreased as air temperature increased and an activation energy value of 57.85 kJ mol⁻¹ was found. Important losses of vitamin C were reported during drying for all the working temperatures (p < 0.05). Although TPC decreased as air-drying temperature increased (p < 0.05) in comparison to its initial value, the dehydration at high temperatures (e.g., 90°C) presented high values for these antioxidant components. Discoloration due to NEB reaction was observed at all the working temperatures showing a maximum value at 90°C (p < 0.05). The radical scavenging activity showed higher antioxidant activity at high temperatures (80 and 90°C) than at low temperatures (50, 60 and 70°C) (p < 0.05). A tissue firmness reduction was observed with increasing temperature (p < 0.05).     

Radiant energy under vacuum (REV) technology: A novel approach for producing probiotic enriched apple snacks

The feasibility of vacuum impregnation in combination with air drying + radiant energy vacuum (REV) drying to produce shelf stable probiotic enriched apple slices was evaluated. The shelf life of the products was monitored at 25 and 4 °C. The results demonstrated that bacterial stability at 25 °C depended on the dehydration techniques; with the longest shelf life in air drying +REV drying followed by freeze drying and air drying. Storage at 4 °C showed no significant changes in bacterial population up to 180 days in all samples. Sensory properties of the air drying +REV and freeze dried apple slices remained above the acceptable level for 30 days at 25 °C and 180 days at 4 °C. The results also revealed that dried apple slices were able to provide prominent protection to the cells in acidic gastric juice.     

Comparative evaluation of bacterial cellulose (nata) as a cryoprotectant and carrier support during the freeze drying process of probiotic lactic acid bacteria

Nata or bacterial cellulose produced by Acetobacter xylinum was compared for its cryoprotective and carrier support potential for probiotic lactic acid bacteria against other established cryoprotectants like 10% skim milk, calcium alginate encapsulation or 0.85% physiological saline and distilled water. Individual lactic acid bacteria were grown in MRS broth in the presence of nata cubes or the bacterial suspension mixed with either powdered bacterial cellulose (PBC), 10% skim milk, saline or distilled water and freeze dried. These freeze dried cells were stored at temperatures of either 30 °C or 4 °C and periodically checked for viability. The freeze dried cells on carrier supports were directly used to prepare fermented milks to establish the activity of these cultures. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to visualize the support matrix with the attached lactic acid bacteria. The freeze drying process resulted in a 3.0 log cycle reduction in the colony forming units as compared to the original cell suspension in the case of all the lactic acid bacteria. The growth of lactic acid bacteria in the presence of bacterial cellulose (nata) offers a convenient and easy method to preserve bacteria for short durations and use it as a support to carry out other fermentation processes.     

Using extra dry milk ingredients for accelerated conching of milk chocolate

Core objective of the work was to shorten conventional conching by means of omitting the dry conching phase and to replace it with a short or continuous liquefaction process. In order to achieve this for milk chocolate, it is necessary to dry milk powder below its equilibrium beforehand. Thus water removal by conching will no longer be necessary, but fat covering of particles and adjustment of flow properties still has to be done by using high shear force. In a first step a procedure was developed, in which skim milk powder is dried to <1% moisture and then coated and stabilised in fat. Milk chocolate flakes produced thereof contained <0.6% water. Secondly, conching time was gradually reduced. Flow properties of samples were very close to a standard, if enough shear was applied. Thirdly, scale up trials using industrial equipment gave similar results. A batch process now takes 15–30 min, however using a continuous high shear mixer is also feasible. Minor sensory differences between samples and standards were neither related to milk powder drying nor to fast liquefaction. Finally an outlook is given on other feasible drying methods and productivity benefits.     

Thin Layer Drying of African Breadfruit (Treculia africana) Seeds: Modeling and Rehydration Capacity

African breadfruit (ABF) seeds are underutilized plant resources, which have been reported to have high potential for novel food and industrial uses. The kinetics of moisture removal during air drying of the whole (WS) and dehulled (DS) seeds was studied at temperatures of 40–70 °C. Five empirical models were tested for predicting the experimental data. Drying of ABF seeds followed an exponential decay pattern, while drying predominantly took place during the falling rate periods. All the drying models predicted the experimental data above 90% accuracy while the Henderson–Pabis model gave the best fit (0.95 < r ² < 0.99) at most of the experimental conditions. Effective moisture diffusivity, D _eff, ranged from 3.65 to 7.15 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s and 3.95 to 6.10 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s for WS and DS, respectively. D _eff showed significant dependence on the moisture content (p < 0.01). Rehydration capacity of DS was not significantly affected by drying temperature while that of WS increased with drying temperature.     

Acceleration of mass transfer rates in osmotic dehydration of elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) applying pulsed-microwave-vacuum

The elephant foot yam slices were processed with combined pulsed-microwave-vacuum osmotic drying. Osmotic dehydration at ambient (28 °C and 45% RH) was carried out using different levels of sucrose concentration (30, 40, 50 and 60% w/w), salt concentration (5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5% w/w) and dehydration time (10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 90 and 120 min). During the osmotic dehydration, pulsed microwave vacuum (15 kPa pressure, 1 W/g power density and 1.853 pulsating ratio) was maintained for 2 min over the sample and solution to enhance the mass transfer. For this purpose, the osmotic dehydration experiments were conducted in the microwave-vacuum cavity. Azuara model predicted the moisture loss and solid gain by elephant foot yam slices during osmosis. It was observed that both the moisture loss and the solid gain increased with increasing concentration of the osmotic solution. The optimum conditions found in the process were 40% w/w sucrose concentration, 6% w/w salt concentration and 70 min osmotic dehydration time, resulting in to 42.80% moisture loss (initial weight) and 14.65% solid gain (initial weight). Further, samples were dried using microwave vacuum dryer up to moisture content of 5–6% d.b. by varying microwave power density (2, 4, 6 and 8 W/g) and pulsating ratio (1.312, 1.625, 1.983 and 2.250). Page model was fitted to the data to study the microwave vacuum drying kinetics. The microwave vacuum drying at 1.625 pulsating ratio with microwave power density 4 W/g yielded a product with the highest overall acceptability score. Guggenheim, Anderson and deBoer (GAB) model was used in the study of the sorption behavior of dehydrated elephant foot yam and shelf life prediction.Industrial relevanceThe production of elephant foot yam in India and South East Asia is comparatively higher than other vegetables. Although, it is nutritious product and good source of energy, food industries are not interested to process elephant foot yam using a time consuming traditional osmotic dehydration process followed by hot air drying. Therefore, present research work was undertaken from industry suggestion to develop accelerated osmotic dehydration process for elephant foot yam using novel pulsed-microwave-vacuum combination followed by finish drying by microwave-vacuum. This research has been carried out to decrease industrial processing time, energy consumption and improving quality of the product. Industry will start adopting this new hybrid process of drying elephant foot yam on large scale.     

Kinetics Modeling of Mass Transfer Using Peleg’s Equation During Osmotic Dehydration of Seedless Guava (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Psidium guajava</Emphasis> L.): Effect of Process Parameters

Peleg’s equation was used to study the effect of process parameters on kinetics of mass transfer in terms of solids gain and water loss during osmotic dehydration using 30–50% (w/w) sucrose solution at 30, 40 and 50 °C. The experimental data were successfully fitted employing Peleg’s equation with the coefficient of determination (R ²) higher than 0.88, the root mean square error, and the mean relative percentage deviation modulus (E) of less than 0.003% and 6.40% for all treatments, respectively. In all cases, initial mass transfer rate parameter (K ₁) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as the solution concentration and solution temperature increased suggesting a corresponding increase in the initial mass transfer rate. Initial mass transfer rate followed an Arrhenius relationship which showed that solids gain had the highest temperature sensitivity (E _a = 21.93–33.84 kJ mol⁻¹) during osmotic dehydration. Equilibrium mass transfer parameter (K ₂) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as solution concentration increased demonstrating that the equilibrium solid and water contents increased with increase in solution concentration. The equilibrium solid and water contents were also estimated adequately using Peleg’s equation (R ² > 0.78). The results of this work allow estimating the kinetics of mass transfer during osmotic dehydration in order to obtain products with determined solid and water contents.     

A Feasibility Study on the Drying of Lime Juice: The Relationship between the Key Operating Parameters of a Small Laboratory Spray Dryer and Product Quality

Concentrated lime juice with 20% total soluble solids was dried using three levels of maltodextrin (40%, 50%, and 60% solid base) and a BüCHI B-190 spray dryer. The drying air temperature and flow rate were 140 °C, 155 °C, and 170 °C and 47.1, 53.5, and 57.8 m³/h, respectively. A total of 27 experiments were conducted (in triplicate) with the feed rate, temperature, and compressed air flow for the atomizer kept constant. Analysis of the data revealed that product recovery increased when the maltodextrin in the feed and drying air flow rate were increased, but the inlet air temperature had no significant (P < 0.05) effect on powder recovery. The moisture content of the powder varied with the maltodextrin level, inlet air temperature, and air flow rate. Using scanning electron microscope images, larger particle size was observed with the increase of maltodextrin concentration. Powder bulk density also increased from 0.41 to 0.68 g/cm³, depending on the level of maltodextrin, whereas the drying air temperature and flow rate were not as effective. The results of this study are beneficial for scaling up the spray drying of lime juice to the food industry.     

Freeze drying of microorganisms ‐ influence of cooling rate on survival

The influence of the cooling rate on the survival of microorganisms (Lactobacillus plantarum, Escherichia coli, Candida boidinii) during freeze drying was studied. It was found that the optimal cooling rate depends mainly on cell properties (size, membrane structure). Additionally, the influence of the physiological state of the microorganisms and the application of protection media (glycerol, skim milk powder) was investigated.     

Recovery of Native Potato Protein Comparing Expanded Bed Adsorption and Ultrafiltration

Obtaining native protein from potato fruit water (PFW) acceptable for food consumption was attempted by comparing expanded bed adsorption (EBA) and ultrafiltration (UF).The methods were assessed on their process performance and the product quality. Extractable tuber proteins were recovered from lab-prepared PFW either by adsorption to an EBA column using a mixed mode resin (0.31 L) or by batch concentration in an UF (10 kDa MWCO, 0.093 m²) unit and then freeze dried. The yields on protein and esterase activity were higher (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01; Mann–Whitney U-test) in UF (3.2 g l⁻¹ PFW and 3.17 kU l⁻¹ PFW) than in EBA (1.8 and 1.21). The performance difference was also reflected in process productivity for esterase activity which was fivefold better (p < 0.01) in UF (4.30 kU h⁻¹) than with EBA (0.84) due to the higher enzyme retention; protein productivities were the same. The content of solanidine glycoalkaloids was depleted to moderate levels but came out unaffected by the processing method: EBA 286 ppm, UF 213 ppm. The low levels of chlorogenic acid in all EBA preparations were negatively correlated to high brightness score (L* = 73.8%), a favorable attribute in food-quality proteins. Both methodologies produced native preparations of comparable protein content (75%). EBA processing, however, increased the fraction of the patatin protein which may offer advantages in food applications.     

奶粉微波真空喷雾冷冻干燥技术与设备研究

主要分析了微波真空冷冻干燥的技术特性,以及在应用中容易出现理论、工艺和设备问题,并提出了相应的技术方法和手段。研究开发了集微波技术、喷雾干燥、冷冻干燥为一体的奶粉干燥装置,实现奶粉在-40～-30℃冷冻干燥。