Flowability and Homogeneity of Food Powders with Plated Oil Ingredient

The present study was conducted to analyze flowability and homogeneity of single and multi-ingredient bulk carriers with plated oil ingredient, including the influence of mixing parameters in a ploughshare mixer, addition of silica and composition of a plator. Powder flowability was determined using simple tests as Hausner ratio, angle of repose, pouring time, and by funnels. Homogeneity was determined using the analysis of variation of coefficient of color parameters. Plators received on the basis of salt and a mixture of salt and glucose with the addition of hydrophylic silica were free-flowing powders, but their homogeneity was moderate. Plators received on the basis of mixtures containing maltodextrin were characterized by good homogeneity and were also described as free-flowing powders. Application of porous starch as a carrier enabled to obtain plator characterized by the best homogeneity and very good flowability determined by all simple tests. Elongation of mixing time, as well as augmentation of ploughshare speed or application of a chopper resulted in deterioration of plator homogeneity. Adequate plator homogeneity was obtained without the application of chopper, when mixing time was 4.5 min and ploughshare speed was 130 rpm. Practical Applications The simplest means of turning liquid flavors and oils into easily manageable dry powders is to extend or plate a liquid on a dry edible carrier. The only equipment required for this process is a mixer which is capable of fluidizing the carrier and has a spray applicator that can uniformly distribute the liquid flavoring. The application of porous starches or multicomponent mixtures of carriers can optimize cost, absorption capacity, homogeneity and any number of other desired properties, as flowability. The specific combination of carriers is dependent on several factors and needs to be based on the desired finished product. Knowledge of the effect of carrier and mixing conditions on the flowability and homogeneity of the plated liquid ingredient would help in understanding their suitability in plator production. In the quality control are useful measurements that are easily feasible, fast, repeatable and accurate. Knowledge of the applicability of simple tests to assess the homogeneity and powder flowability of plators indicates the guidelines for quick and optimal designing of such processes.