Dehumidifier-Assisted Drying Characteristics of Nutrient Enriched Gellan and Agar Gels

The characteristics of moisture removal and selected physical properties during the dehumidifier-assisted drying of model food gel systems like agar and gellan gels were studied. The effect of gel forming ingredients/nutrients like FeSO₄ (0.05%), whey protein concentrate (WPC; 5%), and flaxseed powder (FSP; 5%) were investigated with an overall intention of developing a delivery system for nutrients as a convenience food. Gellan and agar gels were prepared at concentrations of 1, 2, and 3% (w/w) and subjected to drying at a low temperature of 40°C in a dehumidifier-assisted dryer up to 12 h. The different quality parameters that were determined included the extent of shrinkage, moisture content, textural parameters, and the diffusion coefficient. Agar gels possessed higher moisture ratios compared to corresponding gellan samples. The diffusion coefficients for agar and gellan gels were 0.83 × 10^?7 ? 2.38 × 10^?7 m²s^?1. The gellan gels were much harder than their corresponding agar gels. The addition of WPC, FeSO₄, and FSP increased the textural indices like fracture force, fracture strain, fracture energy, and total energy for 50% compression for all the gels. Gellan and agar gels showed volume shrinkage; the lowest shrinkages were with WPC added gels followed by the FSP and FeSO₄ incorporated samples. Dehumidifier-assisted dried food gels can serve as a delivery system for nutrients.