DEVELOPMENT AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION OF SPRAY DRIED POWDER FROM ENZYMATICALLY EXTRACTED RIPE PALM (Borassus flabellifer) JUICE

Ripe Palm (Borassus flabellifer) juice contains high sugars that make it difficult to store for a longer period, which limits its use for spray drying. The present work explores the feasibility and optimization of spray drying to make powder from enzymatically extracted ripe palm juice using maltodextrin and gum Arabic as wall materials. Various parameters such as moisture, water activity, solubility, ascorbic acid, colour change, and yield were optimized using response surface method with the central composite design. A mixture of maltodextrin and gum Arabic at a ratio of 3:1(w/w) combined with lactose, and spray drying with an inlet temperature of 140⁰C resulted in the optimum powder quantity and quality. The palm powder yield was maximum (63.5±0.29 %) with acceptable solubility (31.6±0.33 secs), colour change (ΔE= 18.37±0.03), ascorbic acid content (54±0.0003 µg /ml), moisture content (3.3±0.61), and water activity (0.29±0.05). The optimized conditions can be replicated on an industrial scale for the production of palm powder.