Effects of Co-spray Drying of Surfactants with High Solids Milk on Milk Powder Wettability

Dairy industries often spray lecithin, a food-grade surfactant, to spray-dried whole milk powders while fluidisation to produce instant powders. Though adding surfactant to milk feed was often reported to improve the wettability of dried powders, this approach was not favourably used. The present study investigated the effects of surfactant addition into high solids milk feed before drying on the wettability of whole milk particles. Adding either 0.1 wt.% Tween 80 or 0.1 wt.% lecithin to un-concentrated whole milk led to a significant wettability improvement of spray-dried powders. At higher feed solids levels of 23 and 33 wt.%, the wetting process of pure milk powders was comparatively rapid, but the surfactant-added powders showed similar wettability to the pure milk powders. The development of powder wettability as drying progressed was investigated using single droplet-drying technique for 32 and 43 wt.% whole milk in the presence and absence with surfactants. The technique captured an advanced shell formation during drying of higher solids milk. The wettability of surface shells formed by surfactant-added milk was similar to those formed by pure milk throughout drying, from initial shell formation to final drying stage. By contrast, coating surfactants on the outer layer of particles being dried could substantially improve wettability. The rapid shell formation and the slow material diffusion owing to the high medium viscosity were considered the main factors limiting the migration of surfactant molecules towards droplet surface during drying.