Effect of drying condition on physical properties and rehydration behavior of foam-mat dried mushroom powder

In this study, the effects of drying conditions on physical properties included moisture content, water activity, hygroscopicity, particle size, flowability and cohesiveness, angle of repose, and glass transition temperature of the mushroom powder were investigated. Additionally, wettability, dispersibility, and solubility have been measured to characterize the rehydration behavior of mushroom powder. Drying was carried out in three temperatures (50, 65, and 80 °C ) on 3 and 5 mm thicknesses of foam. The drying temperature had a significant effect (p <0.05) on almost all physical properties of samples. Powder samples showed water activity values below 0.3, which leads to stable conditions. As decreasing drying temperature, the moisture content increased and led to the formation of larger particles. According to Carr index and Hausner ratio, the mushroom powder showed better flowability as increased drying temperature.Glass transition temperature ranged from 41.3-55.6 °C. An increase in drying temperature led to increasing wettability and dispersibility. The drying condition had a non-significant effect (p <0.05) on the solubility of samples.