Instant Milk Tea Powder Spray-Drying Maltodextrin Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spray-drying processes for instant milk tea powders require carrier agents like maltodextrin, which increase costs and calorie content, and are challenging due to the hygroscopicity of sugars, leading to lumping and the need for complex, costly split-stream processes.
Innovation Solution
A powdered composition with increased sugar and milk protein content, using skim milk powder or whey protein instead of processed caseinate, allowing for conventional spray-drying without maltodextrin, comprising 25-35% di-/tri-saccharides, 3-20% lactose, 2-15% milk protein, 35-50% fat, and 3-7% emulsifier, with less than 10% maltodextrin or glucose syrup, enabling reduced sugar and milk powder addition in the final product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional spray-drying process is used with high sugar content, then the powder can be produced efficiently, but the sugar hygroscopicity causes lumping and sticky powder
Solution Approach 1:
Maltodextrin serves as a carrier agent and intermediary substance that prevents direct contact between hygroscopic sugar molecules and moisture during spray-drying. The maltodextrin matrix encapsulates the sugar, reducing its hygroscopic activity and preventing lumping and stickiness while maintaining spray-drying efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite powder formulation combining maltodextrin (carrier), sugar (functional ingredient), and milk protein (functional ingredient). This composite structure allows the sugar to be dispersed within the maltodextrin matrix, preventing crystallization and hygroscopic lumping while maintaining the desired sweetness and functionality
2Ease of manufacture
If maltodextrin carrier is used in the powder, then spray-drying is easier and powder quality is maintained, but cost and calorie content increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the maltodextrin content parameter to a specific range (5-20% of total powder weight) rather than using high levels. This parameter optimization maintains sufficient carrier functionality for spray-drying while minimizing the quantity of non-essential maltodextrin, thereby reducing cost and calorie content
Solution Approach 2:
The maltodextrin is strategically used only where needed - as a carrier during the spray-drying process and in sufficient quantity to prevent lumping - rather than as a bulk filler. This localized use of maltodextrin maintains manufacturing ease while minimizing unnecessary additions of cost and calories
3Reliability
If split-stream process is used to avoid lumping, then powder quality improves, but process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for complex split-stream processing by using a simplified single-stream spray-drying approach with optimized maltodextrin carrier content. The maltodextrin carrier naturally prevents lumping during conventional single-stream spray-drying, making complex process configurations unnecessary
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for the production of instant milk tea powder with reduced volume and cost while maintaining functionality, using a conventional spray-drying process, and improving the powder's sensory properties and ease of production.
Implementation Method 1
The powdered composition can be produced by spray-drying a dispersion in water of the ingredients
Data Source
AI summary
A powdered composition which can be produced by spray-drying, and which can be used as the base of an instant milk tea powder is provided. The powdered composition comprises: 25-35% of di-/tri-saccharides other than lactose; 3-20% of lactose; 2-15% milk protein other than processed soluble caseinate; 35-50% fat; and 3-7% emulsifier. A process for producing the powdered composition by spray drying a dispersion of the ingredients in water is also provided. An instant milk tea powder is also provided, which comprises 15 to 90% of the powdered composition, 2 to 15% of tea solids, 0 to 70% of monosaccharides or disaccharides in addition to those present in the powdered composition, and 0 to 4% of anti-caking agents and/or hydrocolloids and/or flavours and/or high intensity sweeteners.