Foam-Mat Drying of Muskmelon

The Box-Behnken design of experiments under response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the foaming process for the development of foam mat-dried muskmelon powder. The independent variables were the concentration of egg albumen (EA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and whipping time (WT). The responses were foam density, foam drainage volume and foam expansion. The optimum conditions for foaming process were EA (11.59% w/w), CMC (0.59% w/w) and WT (3.97 min). The unfoamed muskmelon pulp took longer time to dry to the final moisture content of 2% d.b than foamed pulp. The effective diffusivity for the foamed muskmelon pulp was found to be higher than the unfoamed pulp. The unfoamed pulp resulted in a sticky and dark colored powder, whereas the foamed pulp had a free-flowing and light colored powder. The flaky and porous foam-dried product can be used as an ingredient in broad range of food products.