Main powder physicochemical characteristics influencing their reconstitution behavior

Abstract

Thirty-six food powders corresponding to a wide range of physicochemical characteristics (bulk and surface chemical composition, median particle size, span, water activity) and manufacturing processes (grinding, freeze-drying, spray-drying, crystallization) were investigated for their reconstitutability. Their reconstitution profiles were acquired by conductivity measurements and fitted with Hill model. Physicochemical characteristics of investigated powders were correlated to their wetting and reconstitution times by principal component analysis. Four powder categories were identified on the basis of wetting and reconstitution times; i.e. green group (good reconstitutability); yellow and orange groups (intermediate reconstitutability); red group (poor reconstitutability). Long wetting times were associated to high particle surface hydrophobicity, small median particle size, as well as high protein and lipid contents in the powder bulk. Long reconstitution times were linked to the powder manufacturing process (i.e. grinding), as well as to low sugar content in the powder bulk.

Impact of the whey protein/casein ratio on the reconstitution and flow properties of spray-dried dairy protein powders

“…Wettability is the ability of powders to immerse without stirring [1]. Powder wettability is sensitive to several parameters like particle size: smaller particles generally induce poorer wettabilityPowder surface composition also affects the wetting time: an increase in the proportion of surface lipids is deleterious for powder wettability due to higher hydrophobicity [2][3][4].…”

Comprehensive Study of Changes in Nutritional Quality, Techno-functional Properties, and Microstructure of Bean Flours Obtained from Pretreated Seeds

“…Porosity, defined as the void fraction in the flour sample, is closely related to the reconstitution process in water. A flour with a higher porosity has good wetting behavior, a phenomenon related to the replacement of the gaseous phase by water at the powder surface . The results showed that the pretreatments increased this parameter value compared to those of raw counterparts (Table ).…”

Powdered Foods: Structure, Processing, and Challenges: A Review

“…As for instant properties, the desirable characteristics of powdered products can be categorized into four dissolution parameters: wettability, sinkability, dispersibility, and solubility. These properties represent the steps involved in the reconstitution of powdered products [10,37,38]. Figure 3 presents dissolution properties and how to improve their characteristics.…”

“…Wettability is defined as the ability of a liquid to penetrate a porous agglomerate, replacing the gaseous phase with water on the surface of the powder. The efficiency of this process is affected by particle size (directly proportional) and the degree of polarity on the surface (hydrophilic compounds have greater wettability) [10,37]. To enhance wettability properties, one approach is the use of additives with surfactant or emulsifying Wettability is defined as the ability of a liquid to penetrate a porous agglomerate, replacing the gaseous phase with water on the surface of the powder.…”

“…To enhance wettability properties, one approach is the use of additives with surfactant or emulsifying Wettability is defined as the ability of a liquid to penetrate a porous agglomerate, replacing the gaseous phase with water on the surface of the powder. The efficiency of this process is affected by particle size (directly proportional) and the degree of polarity on the surface (hydrophilic compounds have greater wettability) [10,37]. To enhance wettability properties, one approach is the use of additives with surfactant or emulsifying properties, providing greater control over the surface and interfacial tension between solids and liquids [39].…”