Effect of carrier agents on chemical properties and sensory evaluation of spray-dried Nigella sativa

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of spray-drying with two coating agents, maltodextrin (MD) and gum arabic (AG) on antioxidant activity, mineral content, proximate content and sensory evaluation. Results showed that spray-dried sample decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in caffeine content, from 3.8% in control sample to 1.6% in AG and 1.9% in MD. Fat content in spray-dried sample also declined significantly from 21.4% in a pre-dried sample to 0.8% in MD and 2.4% in AG. Antioxidant activities slightly decreased in both AG and MD samples while the mineral content of spray-dried samples significantly increased in AG as compared with MD sample. The significantly higher yield found in MD (72.85%) sample than AG (40.71%). Spray-dried Nigella sativa powders have viable potential in improving food quality that may be beneficial to consumers as well as to industry.