Characterisation of mango flavoured curd powder developed using spray drying technique

Formulation of novel low-sodium salts using potassium salts and dietary polysaccharide

Potassium citrate (KC) and potassium lactate (KL) are considered as salt replacers due to their saltiness, processing advantages, and health benefits. However, the obvious bitter taste associated with these compounds has limited their use in salt substitutes. Despite this challenge, little attention has been paid to improving their sensory properties. This study provided evidence that dietary polysaccharide carrageenan can effectively mask the bitterness of KC and KL by specifically binding K+ and forming double helix chains. A highly accurate prediction model was then established for the saltiness and bitterness of low-sodium salts using mixture design principles. Three low-sodium salt formulas containing different potassium salts (KC, KL, KCl), NaCl, and carrageenan were created based on the prediction model. These formulas exhibited favorable saltiness potencies (>0.85) without any noticeable odor, preserving the sensory characteristics of high-sodium food products like seasoning powder while significantly reducing their sodium content. This research provides a promising approach for the food industry to formulate alternative low-sodium products with substantially reduced sodium content, potentially contributing to decreased salt intake.

Effects of microencapsulation in dairy matrix on the quality characteristics and bioavailability of docosahexaenoic acid astaxanthin

BACKGROUND

Compared with free astaxanthin (Asta), docosahexaenoic acid astaxanthin monoester (Asta-C22:6) has higher stability and bioavailability. However, Asta-E is still unable to be used in the water system. Hence it is necessary to build a water-soluble delivery system. In this study, Asta-C22:6 microemulsion and microcapsule using whey protein isolate (WPI) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβ-CD) as composite wall material were prepared. They were added to three dairy products (milk powder, yogurt and flavored dairy product). A dairy product rich in Asta-C22:6 with high bioavailability was designed by measuring quality characteristics, sensory evaluation and in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

Compared with spray drying, the freeze-drying microcapsule had a higher encapsulation efficiency (72.5%), water content (4%) and better solubility, and Asta-C22:6 microcapsule (1 g L^-1 ) yogurt had the best quality. The bioavailability of Asta-C22:6 microcapsule yogurt was further evaluated. After a single oral dose in mice, the bioavailability of Asta-C22:6 microcapsule in yogurt was significantly increased (C_max  = 0.31 μg mL^-1 , AUC_0-T  = 3.20 h μg mL^-1 ).

CONCLUSION

We successfully prepared Asta-C22:6 microcapsule yogurt, which improved the stability and bioavailability of Asta. The present research is meaningful for delivering unstable bioactive small molecules based on WPI and HPβ-CD. It provides an experimental basis for the application of Asta-C22:6 and the development of functional dairy products. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Physicochemical design rules for the formulation of novel salt particles with optimised saltiness

Novel sodium reduction strategies are urgently required by the food industry. We hypothesised that redesigning salt crystals (size, density, hydrophobicity and flow properties) will offer a new route to increase saltiness and therefore reduce sodium. Eight salts were compared with different physicochemical properties, the resultant particles were characterised and adhesion to product, loss in-pack, rate of dissolution and ultimately saltiness perception were evaluated. Principle findings included that particle adhesion was driven by particle size (r = -0.85, p = 0.008), bulk density (r = -0.80, p = 0.017) and flow properties (r = 0.77, p = 0.015); loss in-pack was associated with particle size and hydrophobicity of the salt particle while dissolution and/or saltiness perception was also driven by particle size and hydrophobicity of the salt particle. The findings offer a new set of design rules for future ingredient design for the food and flavour industries.

Optimisation of spray drying process in microencapsulated cream powder production

In this Research Communication we describe the optimisation of spray drying conditions in the production of microencapsulated cream powder. Oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using maltodextrin (18 DE) and sodium caseinate as wall materials (with the total wall material per total solid content ratio of 30%) and then converted into powder by spray drying. Response surface methodology was used to optimise the factors of spray drying system i.e. inlet drying temperature, feed flow rate, and aspiration rate, where the levels were in the range of 150-190°C, 9-30 ml/min, and 50-100%, respectively. Our objective was to perform spray drying with the highest drying yield and to obtain a microencapsulated cream powder with the highest bulk density, the shortest wetting time, and the lowest surface fat content. The calculated and validated optimum conditions for the spray drying process were found to be 162.8°C for inlet drying temperature, 11.51 ml/min for feed flow rate, and 72.8% for aspiration rate. At these optimum conditions, drying yield, bulk density, wettability, and surface fat content values were 36.37%, 269.9 kg/m3, 115.2 s and 26.2%, respectively.