Spray drying of raisin juice concentrate

Raisin juice concentrate is a natural sweetener in syrup or paste form and it is produced from second-grade dry raisins by leaching them with water. Dried raisin juice, although is easier to handle and has more potential applications than the syrup, is not available in the market. In the present study, raisin juice powder was produced with a lab-scale spray dryer. The problem of stickiness in the drying chamber was overcome through the use of 21 DE, 12 DE, and 6 DE maltodextrins as drying aid agents. For each type of maltodextrin, the dryer operating conditions and the minimum concentration of maltodextrin in the feed, necessary for successful powder production, were determined. The maximum ratio of (raisin juice solids)/(maltodextrin solids) achieved was 67/33 and was made possible with the use of 6 DE maltodextrin. The inlet and outlet drying air temperatures were 110 and 77 degrees C respectively, while the feed contained 40% w/w total solids. The physical and sensory properties of all powders produced were determined and found to be satisfactory, the only exception being their high hygroscopicity.