Drying Technology

ISSN: 0737-3937 (Print) 1532-2300 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ldrt20

Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions on Physical

Properties of Orange Juice Powder

G.R. Chegini & B. Ghobadian

To cite this article: G.R. Chegini & B. Ghobadian (2005) Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions on
Physical Properties of Orange Juice Powder, Drying Technology, 23:3, 657-668

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1081/DRT-200054161

Published online: 06 Feb 2007.

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Drying Technology, 23: 657–668, 2005
Copyright Q 2005 Taylor & Francis, Inc.
ISSN: 0737-3937 print/1532-2300 online
DOI: 10.1081/DRT-200054161

Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions on Physical

Properties of Orange Juice Powder

G.R. Chegini
Department of Technical Agricultural Engineering, Aboureihan Higher
Education Complex, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

B. Ghobadian
Department of Agricultural Machinery Mechanical Engineering,
Tarbiat Modarres University,

Abstract: Based on a full factorial experimental design, the effects of the feed
ratio, atomizer speed, and inlet air temperature on properties of spray-dried
orange juice powders were investigated. The results indicate that increasing inlet
air temperature increases the particle size, average time of wettablity, and insolu-
ble solids and decreases the bulk density and moisture content of the powder.
Increasing atomizer speed results in increasing the bulk density and average
time of wettablity of powder and decreases the particle size, moisture content, and
insoluble solids of powder. Increase in feed flow rate increases the bulk density,
particle size, and moisture content of the powder and decreases the average time
of wettablity and insoluble solids of powder. With multivariable regression analy-
sis the relationships between physical properties of orange juice powder and oper-
ating parameters with high coefficient were obtained.

Keywords: Bulk density; Model; Food; Particle size; Wettability

INTRODUCTION

The quality of spray-dried food is quite dependent on the spray-dryer

operating parameters. The spray-drying condition was the best way to
explain the change quality factors of orange product.[1,2] Greenwald
and King[3] investigated the effect of design and operating conditions
on particle morphology for spray-dried foods. They concluded that
increased air temperature increased bulk density. The solubility improved

Correspondence: B. Ghobadian, E-mail: chegini@ut.ac.ir

658 Chegini and Ghobadian

with increased speed of the atomizer even where the powder is over-
dried.[3,4]
Bhandari and coworkers[5] show that wettability of fruit powder in
lower inlet air temperature is better than higher inlet air temperature.
Jumah and coworkers[6] concluded that at high inlet air temperature,
moisture content and particle size of jameed powder increase and bulk
density and wettability decrease. Also, an increase in feed flow rate causes
a decrease in product total solid with an increase in bulk density and par-
ticle size. Increasing feed flow rate decreases particle size.[7] Higher atomi-
zer speed reduces the length of the sheet of liquid before disintegration
and reduces the residence time of liquid in the sheet, and as a result
reduces the volatile loss.[8,9] The empirical model between powder physi-
cal properties and the spray-dryer operating parameters is very helpful in
estimating the characteristics of powder and designing a spray-dryer. For
these models, characteristics of insulin have already been obtained by ear-
lier researchers.[10] A limited number of investigations are available
regarding the models between fruit powder physical properties and
spray-dryer operating parameters. In this work, the relationship between
the physical properties of orange juice powder and the spray-dryer oper-
ating parameters are studied in the form of empirical models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials

The primary experiments were performed using a spray dryer of 15 kg=h

capacity. Double wall chamber and ability to control the parameters such
as dryer wall temperature in the regions of sticky point temperature, inlet
air temperature, inlet air volume, atomizer speed in the range of 3000–
25,000 rpm (disk with 100 mm in width) are some of the dryer specifica-
tions. The concentrated orange juice used is obtained from Iranian
orange with the composition given in Table 1.
The additives and their required proportion for drying the orange
juice are chosen based on previous investigations.[5,11,12] The additives

Table 1. Iranian concentrated orange composition

Total solids 63%
Total sugar 42–45 g=100 ml
Ascorbic acid 8–12 g=100 ml
Vitamin C 0.26 g=100 ml
pH 3
Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions 659

should reduce the hygroscopic and thermoplastic property with the vari-
ation of the fruit juice properties and should not alter the quality and
solubility of the powder produced. The additive used in this work as aid-
ing materials include maltodextrine, liquid glucose, and methylcellulose.

The Experimental Methodology

The experiments were conducted using the full factorial design of experi-
ments with the complete random design. The matrix of the design of
experiment is given in Table 2. The main objective of this investigation
is the determination of empirical models that show the relationship
between the operating variables like feed flow rate, atomizer speed, and
inlet air temperature and powder physical properties such as bulk density,
particle size, residual moisture, wettability, and insoluble solids. Eighty
experiments with 3 replicates were performed (the total number of experi-
ments was 240). To estimate the models between the operating para-
meters of the spray-dryer and orange powder properties, the
multivariable regression analysis was engaged.[13,14]
The spray dryer was situated in a laboratory with stable environment
such that the ambient air temperature was about 20–25
C with relative
humidity of 35–45% and a stable condition in performing all the experi-
ments. Before starting the experiments, the atmospheric conditions were
measured with a digital thermometer and humidifier. The feed liquid and
additive was fully mixed based on the composition given in Table 2.

Powder Physical Analysis

The powder samples produced during experiments were kept in closed

vessels until the analysis stage. The methodology adopted was used by
earlier researchers.[5,11,15] The residual moisture was determined by des-
iccation for 4 h at 105
C. Results are expressed as percentage on a dry
matter basis.[5] For bulk density determination, 20 g of powder was

Table 2. The matrix of the design of experiments

Levels

Parameters 1 2 3 4 5

Feed flow rate (ml=min) 150 250 350 450 —

Atomizer speed (rpm) 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 —
Inlet air temperature (
C) 110 130 150 170 190
660 Chegini and Ghobadian

weighed into a 100 ml graduated cylinder. The sample was then gently
dropped 10 times onto a rubber mat from a height of 15 cm.[15] The aver-
age time of wettability was taken as the time required to wet 10 g powder
when dropped onto the surface of 100 ml water at 25
C placed in a
17.5 cm glass dish.[15] The particle sizes of the samples were visually
observed using an inverted metallurgical microscope (PME3, Olympus
Optical). The microscope was connected to a computerized data acqui-
sition and analysis system for particle size and size distribution estima-
tions. The insoluble solids were the amount of solids left after
dissolving 10 g powder in water at 25
C in 20 s.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The multivariable regression analysis is used to obtain models that show

the relationship between operating spray-dryer parameters and powder
physical properties. The results of 240 experiments performed are used
to determine these relationships. Every model that showed a greater lin-
ear coefficient of determination, was chosen to be the best model.[14] The
data analysis shows that the best regression models for estimate of pow-
der physical of orange juice are linear models. Table 3 shows the coef-
ficient of determination for different obtained models.

Inlet Air Temperature

The experimental results indicated that at constant feed flow rate,

increasing inlet air temperature reduces the residual moisture content
and this is true for the other atomizer speeds (in these experimental the
outlet temperature increased with increases of inlet air temperature for
all cases). The previous works showed that increasing the inlet air tem-
perature increases the drying rate and as a result, the moisture content
of the powder is reduced,[4,6,10] which also increases the insoluble solids.

Table 3. The model coefficient of determination of the

powder property

Physical powder properties R2

Bulk density 0.98

Particle size 0.97
Insoluble solid 0.95
Wettability 0.96
Moisture content 0.98
Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions 661

At higher temperature, a hard surface layer is formed over the powder

particles that prevents water from entering particles and therefore the
percentage of insoluble solids is increased. The investigations carried
out by Walton show a similar conclusion.[17] Increasing the inlet air tem-
perature results in an increase in average time of wettability i.e., the
decrease in wettability). The increase in average time of wettability
as the inlet air temperature is increased results from the reduced product
residual moisture content. Other works have also showed similar
findings.[5,6]
Figure 1a indicates that by increasing inlet air temperature the
bulk density is reduced. In constant feed flow rate increase in inlet air
temperature often results in a rapid formation of dried layer at the drop-
let surface and particle size was due to skinning over or case-hardening of
the droplets at the higher temperatures. This leads to the formation of

Figure 1. Effect of inlet air temperature and atomizer speed at constant feed flow
rate on the (a) bulk density; (b) particle size.
662 Chegini and Ghobadian

vapor-impermeable films on the drop surface, followed by the formation

of vapor bubbles and, consequently, droplet expansion.[6,16] The effect
can also be referred to the fact that a product of higher moisture content
would tend to have a higher bulking weight caused by the presence of
water which is considerably denser than the dry solid. Figure 1b also indi-
cates that on increasing inlet air temperature, particle size is also
increased. Increases of inlet air temperature often result in a rapid forma-
tion of dried layer at the droplet surface. This hardened skin does not
allow the moisture to exit from the droplet, a consequence of which is
that the particle size is increased. The research conducted by the others
has also confirmed these findings.[6,17]

Atomizer Speed

The experimental results indicated that at constant feed flow rate increas-
ing the atomizer speed, residual moisture is decreased. At higher atomizer
speed, smaller droplets are produced and more moisture is evaporated
resulting from the increased contact surface. This is also verified by the
findings of Knipschildt.[4] It is shown that at higher atomizer speed, the
insoluble solid is decreased. Higher atomizer speed resulted in smaller
particle size and quicker drying due to the larger surface area, and conse-
quently prevents the ‘‘skinning’’ over of the droplets. Knispchildt con-
cluded that increasing the atomizer speed, the insoluble solid is reduced
and as a result, the solubility of the powder is improved.[14]
Figure 1a indicates that at higher atomizer speed the bulk density is
higher. By increasing the atomizer speed of the droplet spread on a larger
surface, the particle size is reduced and increasing the atomizer speed of
the droplet spread on a larger surface decreases bulk density. Other inves-
tigations have also shown this phenomenon.[3,4] Figure 1b indicates that
at higher atomizer speeds the particle size is smaller. By increasing atomi-
zer speed, liquid spread in a thin film layer results in smaller droplet and
particle size. Brennan conducted that increasing the atomizer speed from
2500 rpm to 3750 rpm does not affect on the orange powder particle
size.[3] This is in agreement with findings reported in the literature.[4,8,10]

Feed Flow Rate

The experimental results indicated that at constant atomizer speed

increasing the feed flow rate, residual moisture is increased. Larger dro-
plets containing more moisture are produced as a result of increasing the
moisture content of the powder. The earlier researchers also made similar
conclusions.[6,7,16] Increasing the feed flow rate reduces the percentage of
Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions 663

insoluble solids, because of the higher droplet moisture content and

thinned dried layer on the powder particles. Other works have also
reached similar findings.[3,6] Increasing the feed flow rate reduces the
average time of wettability at a constant atomizer speed. On increasing
the feed flow rate, the particles contain higher residual moisture and
become wet faster in water.[6]
Figure 2a indicates that an increase in feed flow rate causes an
increase in bulk density. For fixed dryer operating conditions, increased
feed flow rate results in higher residual moisture content, and powder
bulk density also increases as a result of the higher water density com-
pared to the dry solid. This is in agreement with the findings of Mas-
ters.[16] Figure 2b shows that increasing feed flow rate results in an
increase in particle size. With the fixed operating condition, increasing
the feed flow rate results in larger droplets and particle size. The earlier
works also verify this.[6,7,16]

Figure 2. Effect of feed flow rate and inlet air temperature at constant atomizer
speed on the (a) bulk density; (b) particle size.
664 Chegini and Ghobadian

Empirical Models

From the multivariable regression analysis, empirical models (Eqs. 1 to 5)

were obtained. The bulk density (Bd), particle size (Ps), moisture content
(Mc), insoluble solids (Is), and average time of wettability (Tw) as depen-
dent variables and independent variables such a feed flow rate (L), atomi-
zer speed (N), and inlet air temperature (Ti) were determined.

Bd ðg=cm3 Þ ¼ 2:75 þ 0:42 lnðLÞ þ 0:13 lnðNÞ  0:048 lnðTiÞ ð1Þ

Ps ðmmÞ ¼ 123:2  48:9 lnðLÞ þ 15:33 lnðNÞ þ 6:14 lnðTiÞ ð2Þ

Mc ð%Þ ¼ 4:1  0:006L þ 0:00004N  0:0027 Ti ð3Þ

Is ð%Þ ¼ 1:98  0:23 lnðLÞ  0:09 lnðNÞ þ 0:08 lnðTiÞ ð4Þ

Tw ðsÞ ¼ 64:5 þ 30:2 lnðLÞ  14:5 lnðNÞ þ 13:6 lnðTiÞ ð5Þ

The coefficient of determination of the models are 95% and above.

Figure 3 indicates the regression graph of experimental and predicted
values of bulk density and residual moisture content. It is shown that
the model is linear and predicted values with high degree of confidence
in that the predict values cover the measured values significantly.
For example, Fig. 4a shows the relationship between the inlet air
temperature and bulk density for both the experimental and predicted
value at the feed flow rate of 450 ml=min and atomizer speed of
15,000 rpm. As shown in the diagram, the variation between the experi-
mental and predicted values is not significant. Figure 4b shows the
relationship between the inlet air temperature and particle size for both
the experimental and predicted value at the feed flow rate of 450 ml=min
and atomizer speed of 25,000 rpm. As shown in the diagram, the vari-
ation between the experimental and predicted values is not significant,
particularly in the inlet air temperature over 150
C.

CONCLUSIONS

The effect of the spray-dryer operating parameters such as feed flow rate,
atomizer speed, and inlet air temperature on orange juice powder physi-
cal properties such as bulk density, particle size, residual moisture con-
tent, insoluble solids, and average time of wettability are investigated.
The results show that all of the operating parameters affect the pow-
der physical properties significantly. An increase in feed flow rate
Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions 665

Figure 3. Regression graph of experimental and predicted values: (a) bulk

density; (b) residual moisture content.

increases the bulk density, particle size, and moisture content of the pow-
der and decreases the average time of wettablity and insoluble solids of
powder. An increase in atomizer speed increases the bulk density and
average time of wettability of powder and decreases the particle size,
moisture content, and insoluble solids of powder. An increase in inlet
air temperature increases the particle size, average time of wettablity,
666 Chegini and Ghobadian

Figure 4. Relationship between inlet air temperature with experimental and

predicted values: (a) bulk density; (b) particle size.

and insoluble solids and decreases the bulk density and moisture content
of the powder.
With the multivariable regression analysis of the data, the relation-
ship between the orange juice powder physical properties and the
spray-dryer operating parameters were obtained in the form of empirical
models. The coefficient of determination of the models is 95% and above.
It can be said that the models can predict the variable suitably with a high
degree of confidence and cover the measured values significantly.
These models can be used for estimating the physical properties of orange
Effect of Spray-Drying Conditions 667

powder according to spray-dryer operating parameters. Naturally, these

conclusions are strictly related to this size and type of spray-dryer and are
not necessarily applicable to one with a different design.

NOMENCLATURE

Bd Bulk density of the powder (g=cm3)

Is Insoluble solid (%)
L Feed flow rate (ml=min)
Mc Residual moisture content (%)
N Atomizer speed (rpm)
Ps Particle size (mm)
R2 Coefficient of determination
Ti Inlet air temperature (
C)
Tw Average time of wettability (s)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors express their appreciation to professor A.S. Mujumdar for

this review of this article.

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