Unlocking new possibilities through the ingredient spray drying process

Ingredient spray drying plays a vital role in modern food formulation by converting liquid ingredients into dry powders to be used in applications that must be low or free of water. This offers a range of opportunities for manufacturers, giving them the ability to create stable formulations in a variety of applications. 

Read on to discover how the spray drying process unlocks these opportunities for innovation, and how you can incorporate spray-dried ingredients into your products. 

What is the ingredient spray drying process?

Spray drying is a process used to convert liquids into powders. The process works by atomising liquid ingredients into fine droplets and rapidly drying them in a controlled hot air chamber.

Spray drying for the food industry is widely used for heat-sensitive ingredients like fats, oils, flavours, and nutrients. Compared with alternative drying technologies (like freeze drying or drum drying), food ingredient spray drying is more scalable and uses more gentle heating which better protects the flavours and aromas of the original liquid ingredients. For manufacturers, this means more reliable quality and consistency, giving them the flexibility to develop innovative, shelf-stable products on an industrial scale.

Spray drying for the food industry: functional benefits

Spray drying for the food industry delivers more than just convenience: it provides functional advantages that support product quality and consistency in food manufacturing. These include: 

Easier handling and improved efficiency

Free-flowing powders produced through food ingredients spray drying are significantly easier to handle than liquid fats, condiments and oils. Powdered ingredients offer improved dosing accuracy, and they are easier to incorporate into product formulations without affecting the consistency. These advantages can reduce formulation complexity, giving manufacturers greater control over the end product. 

Enhanced stability and shelf life

Spray drying supports the creation of shelf-stable formulations by protecting sensitive lipids from oxidation. During the process, encapsulation encloses the substance in a protective coating or “carrier” to form small, stable particles of powder. This aids in the protection and control of active ingredients. The added protection helps to extend the shelf life and storage stability of formulations, ensuring products perform consistently. 

The spray drying process for shelf-stable fats and oils

Spray drying offers particular benefits for fats and oils. Most crucially, it allows manufacturers to maintain, nutritional value, and functional performance while converting lipids into shelf-stable fats. This process also improves the sensory experience, ensuring mouthfeel and taste aren’t impacted by their addition. For manufacturers, this added stability offers its own benefits:

• Greater formulation flexibility: Lipid powders can be used more widely to enhance texture and functionality in products where liquid oils aren’t suitable
• Supports clean label claims: Spray-dried solutions can help manufacturers to incorporate ingredients without hydrogenated oil or trans-fats, supporting them to make clean label claims 

However, the spray drying process for shelf-stable fats and oils is not a simple one. It requires significant expertise (across carriers and formulation specifications) to ensure consistent, effective results. The right level of expertise in lipid spray drying helps manufacturers to create successful formulations that perform well and stand out on the shelf.

Food ingredient spray drying applications

Food ingredient spray drying enables consistent performance and versatility across a broad range of applications: 

Dried lipids and culinary powders are ideally suited for functional foods, beverages, snacks and seasonings. The spray drying process delivers consistent moisture levels and particle size as well as ensuring uniform dispersion for flavour delivery throughout the product. Spray-dried powders can also produce authentic, complex flavours which is particularly useful for chilli flavours when trying to fine-tune spice intensity. With a simplified product formulation, manufacturers can achieve distinctive sensory experiences.

Ohly's advanced food ingredient spray drying expertise

At Ohly, we leverage our decades of experience in spray drying for the food industry to deliver high-quality, stable, and performance-driven ingredients. Our team brings particularly strong expertise in fine-tuning emulsification, flow behaviour and drying performance.

Our formulations and solutions ensure superior solubility so that powders can be easily mixed into hot or cold liquids. Our ability to preserve flavours and aromas during the drying process also helps improve taste, texture and mouthfeel in the final application to ensure consumer appeal and enjoyment in the end product. 

• NEIVA^® MCT Powder offers an efficient and easily digestible energy-source with excellent solubility, and stability making it ideal for functional foods and beverages.
• NEIVA^® High Oleic Sunflower Oil Powder provides an easy-to-use alternative to liquid fats with the added benefits of containing high levels of oleic acid, which may help lower overall cholesterol. 
• PRODRY^® Culinary Powders deliver true taste authentic and complex flavours in a powdered format which is easier to handle and more consistent in food preparation.

Partner with Ohly to unlock new formulation opportunities

We support manufacturers from concept through to scale-up with expertly tailored spray drying solutions for the food industry. Our expertise in culinary powders and powdered lipids helps bring new formulations to market efficiently, with consistent quality and performance.