Encapsulation of d-limonene flavors using spray drying: Effect of the addition of emulsifiers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the addition of four emulsifiers (tween 20, tween 60, sodium caseinate and low methoxyl pectin) for the formulation and stability of d-limonene emulsions and to study the emulsifiers’ effect on the quality properties of the product obtained by spray drying and on the performance of the process variables. The results of these emulsions were significantly different (p <0.05) in the case of the viscosity and zeta potential, which established, through optimization, that the best formulation is achieved with a mixture of 0.4% low-methoxyl pectin and 0.1% tween 60. The spray drying process was evaluated by varying the inlet air temperature (150-200ºC), outlet air temperature (90-110ºC) and speed of the atomizer disk (20000-30000 rpm). The optimal conditions for the drying process were achieved with inlet and outlet air temperature of 156.7 and 90ºC, respectively, and an atomizer disc speed of 30000 rpm. With these parameters, the following results were obtained: solids recovery (90.9%), percent of deposits (0%), solubility (98.4%), moisture content (2.22% w.b), hygroscopicity (9.2%), water activity (0.112) and encapsulation efficiency (98%), which resulted in a powder with characteristics suitable for industrialization.