Spray drying industrial process

SPRAY DRYING. A process used in the production of numerous chemical and food products. It is widely used in connection with the production of powdered milk and instant coffee preparations. The spray drying is unique among dryers in that it dries a finely divided droplet by direct contact with (lie drying medium (usually air) in an extremely short retention time (3 to 30 seconds). This short contact time results in minimum heat degradation of the dried product, a feature that led to the popularity of the spray dryer in the food and dairy industries during its early development. In the case of coffee extract, water in the feed will range from 50 to 70%. 

Spray drying, a process typically used in the production of coarser (up to 500 pm) food, pharmaceutical, and industrial powders, can also be used to prepare microparticulate powders for DPIs. A typical first step involves creating a solution of the... 

Compounded Flavors. Liquid or dry blends of natural or synthetic flavor compounds are called compounded flavors. Most commercial preparations are available as water- and oil-soluble Hquids, spray-dried and plated powders, emulsions, and carbohydrate-, protein-, and fat-based pastes. Compounded flavors are used throughout the food industry in confections, baked goods, snack foods, carbonated beverages, and processed foods (53). 

Extra-Fine Precipitated Hydroxide. Very fine (< 1 /im-diameter) particle size hydroxide is produced by precipitation under carefully controlled conditions using specially prepared hydroxide seed. Precipitation is usually carried out at low (30 —40°C) temperatures causing massive nucleation of fine, uniform hydroxide particles (Fig. 5). Tray or tumiel Ape dry ers are used to dry the thorouglily washed filter cake to a granular product wliich is easily pulverized to obtain the fine hydroxide. Alternatively, the washed product is spray dried. Precipitation from an organic-free aluniinate Hquor, such as that obtained from the soda—sinter process, fields a very wliite product. Tlie fine precipitated hydroxide is used by the paper and plastic industries as fillers. 

Other types are available that use sonic energy (from gas streams), ultrasonic energy (electronic), and electrostatic energy, but they are less commonly used in process industries. See Table 14-11 for a sum-maiy of the advantages/disadvantages of the different type units. An expanded discussion is given by Masters [Spray Drying Handbook, Wiley, New York, (1991)]. 

The use of the lignin fraction is much more cumbersome currently the best-known chemical of a real commercial importance is vanillin, which is obtained by oxidation of the black liquor. Another example is a product called spray-dried lignosulfonate (as sodium salt) obtained from the older, acidic sulfite pulping process. It is sold as a commercial product primarily as a concrete additive for enhanced strength. Since the cement industry is one of the big contributors of carbon dioxide emissions (due to the production of calcium oxide from calcium carbonate), the use of this renewable, wood-derived product not only is fossil-carbon neutral in itself but also reduces carbon dioxide emission due to the diminished need for cement in large infrastructures made of concrete. 

Possibly the most important, and least understood, aspect of spray-dried flavorings manufacture is the role the wall material plays in this process. The polymers utilized for this product are controlled by FDA constraints, cost, finished product labelling considerations and compatability, functionality and historical usage. Given these considerations, polymers selected for the retention and maintenance of labile flavors and aromas in industrial spray dried, food grade systems include both carbohydrate (hydrolyzed starches, "lipophilic starches, plant exudates) and protein. The importance of these wall materials should not be underestimated. 

The flavour and modern phytopharmaceutical industries have made big changes to the traditional pharmaceutical extraction processes. Whereas ethanol was really the only significant solvent apart from water used by the traditional pharmaceutical extractors, solvents such as hexane and acetone have been used by flavour companies to make soft-extract oleoresins for natural flavour components. Sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide and also some fluorohydrocarbons are now used to produce some very high-quality extracts. Modern concentration and drying processes such as reverse osmosis, spray-drying and freeze-drying... 

The first direct compression excipient, spray-dried lactose, was introduced in the early 1960s as a filler specifically designed for direct compression processes. Over many years, more direct compression API and excipients, especially diluents and binders, were developed. Since these are now commercially available, design of direct compression formulations is readily possible. However, despite the simplicity of the direct compression process, the pharmaceutical industry still produces most tablets by wet granulation methods.1... 

Application Urea-formaldehyde resins are used as adhesives in the wood-working industry and are typically used in the production of plywood and particle board. They are available as concentrated solutions or in powder form as a result of the spray-drying process. 

Spray drying is the most commonly used method in the food industry. Bioactive ingredients microencapsulated by this method include fats and oils, flavours, essential oils and other oil-soluble bioactives. Water-soluble bioactives can also be encapsulated by spray drying, where the encapsulant forms a matrix structure rather than a film surrounding the core. This process typically involves the dispersion of the core material into a solution of the encapsulant (e.g., protein, carbohydrate) and atomization of the mixture into the drying chamber. This leads to evaporation of the solvent... 

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