Spray-Freeze-Drying of Foods and Bioproducts : Theory, Applications and Perspectives

Spray-freeze-drying (SFD) is a synergistic drying technology that imbibes in it the merits of both spray drying and freeze-drying, whilst overcoming the limitations of these predecessor technologies. SFD produces uniquely powdered food and pharmaceutical products with porous microstructure and superior quality attributes. Owing to its atomization step and ultra-low-temperature operation, SFD is a competent drying technique for the production of valuable but sensitive bioactive components. Despite the costs and complexities involved, SFD has a competitive edge over the conventional drying techniques in providing distinctive product attributes. The applications of spray-freeze-drying in the area of food and bioproducts span across the product categories of instant food powders, dry flavors, active pharmaceutical ingredients, poorly water-soluble drugs, probiotics, proteins, enzymes and vaccines.

is the first exclusive title on this interesting drying technique. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of SFD and its food and pharmaceutical applications.

The scope of this book, comprising 12 chapters, has been organizedunder four major headings: fundamentals of process-stages, applications with case-studies, recent advancements and the processing bottlenecks and solutions.

The contents of this book are organized to cater to the knowledge needs of students, academicians, researchers and professionals in the food and pharmaceutical industry.