Definition of food additives
Food additives are non-nutrient substances that are intentionally added to foods in small amounts to improve the appearance, flavor, tissue structure, or storage properties of the food. According to this definition, food fortifiers for the purpose of enhancing the nutritional content of food should not be included in the scope of food additives.
Introduction of Food Additive Spray Dryer
Spray drying is a process commonly used in the liquid process forming and drying industries. It is suitable for producing powdery and granular solid products from solutions, emulsions, suspensions and pasty liquid materials. Therefore, when the particle size distribution, residual moisture content, bulk density and particle shape of the finished product meet the standards, spray drying is an ideal process.
Working principle of food additive spray dryer
After filtering and heating, the air enters the air distributor at the top of the dryer, and the hot air enters the drying chamber evenly in a spiral shape. The feed liquid is sprayed (rotating) into very fine mist-like liquid beads through the high-speed centrifugal atomizer at the top of the tower body, and it can be dried into a finished product in a very short time in parallel flow contact with hot air. The finished product is continuously output from the bottom of the drying tower and the cyclone separator, and the exhaust gas is evacuated by the fan.
Performance characteristics of food additive spray dryer
◎The drying speed is fast, and the surface area of the material liquid is greatly increased after atomization. In the hot air flow, 95%-98% of water can be evaporated in an instant, and the drying time is only a few seconds. It is especially suitable for the drying of heat-sensitive materials.
◎The product has good uniformity, fluidity and solubility, and the product has high purity and good quality.
◎Simplified production process and convenient operation and control. For liquids with a moisture content of 40-60% (up to 90% for special materials) can be dried into powder products at a time. After drying, there is no need to crush and screen, reducing the production process and improving the purity of the product. The particle size, bulk density, and moisture of the product can be adjusted within a certain range by changing the operating conditions. It is convenient to control and manage.
Examples of common dry food additive materials
Preservatives-commonly used are sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sulfur dioxide, lactic acid, etc. Used in food processing of jams, preserves, etc.
Antioxidants-similar to preservatives, can extend the shelf life of food. Commonly used are dimension C, different dimension C and so on.
Colorants-Commonly used synthetic pigments are carmine, amaranth, lemon yellow, indigo, etc. It can change the appearance of food and make it increase appetite.
Thickener and stabilizer-can improve or stabilize the physical properties of cold food and beverage, make the food smooth and delicate. They keep frozen foods such as ice cream soft and loose for a long time.
Raising agent-Adding a bulking agent to some candies and chocolate can cause the sugar body to produce carbon dioxide, thus playing the role of bulking. Commonly used leavening agents include sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, compound leavening agents, etc.
Sweeteners-commonly used artificial sweeteners include saccharin sodium and cyclamate. The purpose is to increase the sweetness.
Sour agent-some beverages, candy, etc. often use sour agent to adjust and improve the aroma effect. Commonly used citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid and so on.
Whitening agent-benzoyl peroxide is the main ingredient of flour whitening agent. The upper limit of allowable dosage of Chinese food in flour is 0.06g/kg. If the whitening agent exceeds the standard, it will destroy the nutrition of the flour. The benzoic acid produced after hydrolysis will cause damage to the liver. Benzoyl peroxide has been banned as a food additive in developed countries such as the European Union. my country also banned benzoyl peroxide as a whitening agent in May 2011.
