The aim of the present study was to investigate the spray drying behavior of sugarcane juice with (PSJ) and without (CSJ) citric acid the effects of different levels (10-50%) of carrier agents (maltodextrin (MD), Gum Arabic, liquid glucose and carrot fiber) at varying operating conditions of inlet and outlet temperature and feed concentration during spray drying was also studied. Spray dried powders from PSJ and CSJ were analyzed for physical properties such as wettability, cohesiveness, dispersibility, flowability, hygroscopicity, particle morphology etc. Different correlations between product recovery and operating conditions were obtained. Amongst the different carrier agents used maltodextrin (30%) proved to be the best in terms of sensory properties and product yield. Spray dried powder without citric acid (PSJ) proved to be superior in terms of porosity, flowability and other reconstitution properties with low hygroscopicity. Moreover PSJ powder revealed regular spherical shape with smooth surface and less agglomeration between particles.
Keywords: Carrier agents; Drying yield; Enzymatic browning; Spray drying; Sugarcane juice.