The thermostability of spray dried imitation coffee whiteners

Imitation creamer formulations were spray dried and agglomerated on a pilot scale tall-form drier in order to evaluate the stability of the resulting powders when added to hot aqueous coffee solutions. The study explored the effects of different protein ingredients (sodium caseinate; milk protein concentrate; whey protein concentrate; milk proteinate; soluble wheat protein) in combination with non-protein emulsifiers and disodium hydrogen orthophosphate. Adaptation of coffee stability test methodology was necessary to take account of the presence of significantly more 'floaters' in the case of imitation coffee whiteners which did not sediment during centrifugation. A new non-dairy protein, soluble wheat protein, proved to have exceptional stabilizing ability compared to all other protein ingredients evaluated. Sodium caseinate performed the best out of the dairy proteins, while formulations incorporating milk protein concentrate tended to be the least stable. When working with whey protein concentrate as the principal ingredient source, an emulsifier system based on mono/diglycerides was inadequate, and it was necessary to use a combination of polysorbate and sodium stearoyl lactylate in its place.